


Polyhedral Pining

by Miyotesse



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/F, F/M, Gay, M/M, Multi, so very very gay
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-04
Updated: 2018-12-13
Packaged: 2019-07-25 03:47:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 41,985
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16189433
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Miyotesse/pseuds/Miyotesse
Summary: Alya likes Ladybug. Marinette likes Adrien. Chloe likes Marinette? Wait, Alya likes Queen Bee. Now Adrien likes Nino? Juleka likes someone?? Does Nathaniel like Marc? Is Alix trying to like someone too?Young love, mutual and unrequited pining, super powers, secrets and more.





	1. Chapter 0: Light

                “I need your help. Please. As the… as the person I look up to, as the… the person I’ve fallen in love with. Marinette, please, I’m begging you, I don’t want to become like her! I… I don’t want to become a monster!”

                Ladybug’s eyes widened as she looked across at the blonde, her spinning yoyo clattering to the floor as she froze.

                “I…” she began, beeping shrill in her ears. She took a deep breath, and looked up at the girl, heart pounding. She could see the sincerity in her eyes, as the tears ran from them. Her hands clasped tightly, her body shaking.

                “OK. I’ll help you,” she said, taking a step forward. She closed her eyes, and, with a whisper of “Tikki. Spots off,” her body began to shine with pink light, her transformation ending.


	2. Chapter 1: Letters

“Um… what’s this?” Alya asked, blinking. Before her, clenched tightly between trembling thumb and pointer finger, was a pastel yellow envelope, scented lightly with perfume and covered in cute little sketches of flowers.

“Uugh, what does it look like, Alya? It’s an invitation!” Chloe snapped through gritted teeth, staring back at the brown haired girl. “I am throwing a lavish gala for the end of the school year, and everyone is invited, even you two fashion disasters,” she said, letting the invite drop to the table before producing another one from her purse, offering it to Marinette.

“Hey, my look is timeless!” Alya huffed, snatching the invite from the table after tugging on her own collar. “And besides, if you’ve got the bod to pull off plaid, you owe it to the world to do so,” she added, smoothing her shirt against herself. “So why are you handing these things out and not your lackey?” Alya asked, nodding towards Sabrina. Chloe’s expression soured.

“Sabrina is not my lackey! She only does things I ask her to do, and besiiiiides,” Chloe said, turning her back on Alya, “I wanted to hand **you** this personally, Adrikins~” she said, sliding in between Adrien and Nino, offering him one of the yellow envelopes. “And, I guess, one for you as well, Nino…” she added, dropping another one over her shoulder.

“Thank you for the invite, Chloe, but I’m afraid my father won’t allow me to go. He has been extra protective lately with all the new Akuma running around. It was no secret that there had been an increase of Akuma victims in the recent months. With the appearance of first Rena Rouge, then Carapace and Queen Bee, Hawkmoth seemed adamant on creating a new victim practically every day. Chloe frowned for a moment.

“I’m sure we could convince him to let you attend, especially if there will be an opportunity for some candid photos. The dashing young model with the beautiful, ravishing, dazzling mayor’s daughter on his arm!” she said, batting her eyelashes at him.

“Yeah, but when would he have someone worth photographing on his arm?” Alya retorted with a stern crossing of her arms.

“You’ve always got something to say, don’t you Cesaire!” Chloe snapped back at her, leaning against the desk to push upwards, matching her eye to eye.

“Pot, Kettle, Black! At least I do my dirty talk directly and not to my lackey!” Alya said, smirking as she pushed her glasses up on her nose.

“I do not have a lackey!”

Hah! You so totally do! ‘Sabrina, fetch me a latte, this one has grown tepid! Sabrina, call Giovanni, I have a lock out of place. Sabrina, do my homework, I have a nail appointment!’ it’s pathetic,” Alya went on.

“That’s enough! Alya, that was really mean spirited!” Marinette said, pushing herself upright, glaring across at her friend.

“Whuh? Buh! She started it!” Alya stammered, gesturing from Chloe to Marinette.

“I would hardly call ‘fashion disaster’ means to start insulting her character, especially since you’ve called Alix that before,” Marinette went on.

“Yeah! I was, like, heartbroken and stuff!” Alix called over from the other side of the room before letting out a cackle of laughter. Alya pouted, folding back in on herself as she slumped back onto her chair.

“Chloe, we’d love to attend, I’m sure the whole class will be there. Why don’t we, as a class, write a letter to Adrien’s father, asking him to let Adrien come. Mr Agreste can’t say no to that!” Marinette said, giving the blonde a soft smile, which was gratefully returned.

 

“Alya. Alya, please stop pouting!” Marinette called out as she followed the girl through the corridors of the school. The girl had been silent through most of the class and had packed her things and practically run out of the class room when the lesson had ended. “I’m sorry about what I said, but you really were being mean!” she went on.

“Hah! And Chloe’s neeeever been mean before, right?” Alya snipped back at the girl throwing her arms up in the air.

“Th-that’s not the point! And she’s been getting better lately! She actually came to me about this gala idea, and asked if it would be insensitive to anyone in the class. She was worried some might not have fancy clothes. She was showing forethought about the feelings of others. Empathy, Alya! She seemed really genuinely worried about it too,” Marinette went on. Alya relented a little, slowing to a stop, arms re-crossing over her chest.

“I’m glad you can forgive so easily girl, but… I just don’t think she’s genuine about any of this. It all happened so suddenly, after her mother went back, it was like she was instantly trying her hardest to be miss goodie goodie! She’s got to be after something, even if she did realise she was princess bitch to the Queen Bitch, no-one changes that quickly unless they’re after something…”

“Maybe she realised she doesn’t actually have that many friends, and wants to make amends?” Marinette said, hesitating slightly. Alya rolled her eyes.

“Well, you can go and be her friend or whatever, just don’t forget, you’re my **best** friend,” the girl said, pouting again. Marinette let out a gasp, before giggling and leaping forwards, hugging Alya tightly.

“Awww, are you jealous? Silly Alya, you know you’ll always be my bestie!” she said, offering her pinkie finger to the girl. Alya huffed, cheeks a little warm as she took hold of it with her own, smiling a little as she felt Marinette tug her finger tightly.

“I guess… but I still don’t want to hang out with her or anything… Not right now, but I’ll not say never,” she said, gently tapping her forehead into Marinette’s hair.

“Will you help me write that letter to Gabriel? We can meet up with everyone at lunch and get their ideas, but your penmanship is the best in the class!” Marinette said. Alya chuckled, ruffling the girls hair as she pulled back out of the hug.

“Fiiiine, twist my arm why dontcha!” she said with a chuckle.

 

Marinette and Alya circulated at lunch, speaking to almost everyone in the class about the letter. In the end, they decided that it would be more effective if everyone wrote a letter, and they delivered them all to Gabriel in one go, and everyone began to write out their letters. Everyone, that was, except Nino, Nathaniel and Alix.

“Nah, the dude hates me! I might as well write a letter asking him to exclude my bro, he’d be more likely to let him go that way,” the bespectacled boy said as he looked up at the duo.

“Come on, that’s no way to think! I’m sure Mr Agreste has forgiven you. Remember, at Christmas, I think I even saw him smile when you turned up! And he never smiles!” Marinette said, placing her hands together and bowing before Nino.

“Dunno how anyone can say no to a display like this, Nino. Are you really going to let **Marinette** down? Look at her; can you really live with yourself knowing you made this pretty a face sob and pout?” Alya added, grabbing the girls cheeks to give her a sad expression as Marinette stood back upright.

“Awya? Wabd are you doibg?” the dark haired girl asked, trying to wriggle free.

“See, she’s so sad that you’re not writing the letter that she can’t even speak properly. Let her speak, Nino! Help her speak!!” she exclaimed, as Marinette rolled her eyes.

“Alright, alright, jeez, don’t give me pouty Mari, I don’t think I could handle it. I don’t get it, Al’s, why’re you so invested in this?” Nino asked. Alya rolled her eyes, the faintest twitch of a glare directed at him.

“Because, Marinette is backing the idea, and I want to do everything I can to help her. And if I can get one over on Chloe, and make her acknowledge that her thing wouldn’t’ve happened without us, so much the better! I’m surprised you didn’t fight for it more, to be honest, especially when your ‘bro’ seemed so sad about being left out,” Alya said. Nino’s expression grew sterner as he glared up at his friend.

“I’d do anything for my bro, you just don’t understand…” the boy said, his tone level, but masking a wave of emotion that threatened to crash over him.

“Nino, Alya didn’t mean anything by that, she was just being a tease,” Marinette said, patting him on the shoulder.

“Yeah, sorry Nino. I wasn’t thinking, and I got a bit too mean. It’s been happening a lot lately…” Alya said, flicking at the brim of his hat with an apologetic smile.

“Nah, it’s fine, really. You just hit a bit of a sore spot. I really would do anything for Adrien… I’ll get a letter written, ladydudes, but I still don’t think it’s the smartest to have one from me,” he said, expression growing sad once again.

 

“Pleeeeeease Nathie, please please please! Everyone else is doing one, and having the entire class pleading the case will look so much better,” Marinette said, leaning against the crimson haired artist as he drew. The quiet boy was sat next to his writer friend in the art room, where the two had been working on their latest piece.

“Marinette, I barely know him. I think he and I have said about ten words to one another this whole year, anything I write would be really insincere, you know I’m not much of a writer… I’m surprised Chloe even invited me,” he said, barely glancing away from his art.

“Firstly. I am absolutely stealing Nathie,” Marc said, a smile tilting the corner of his mouth, making Nathaniel blush quite profusely, “and secondly, you need to stop talking like that about yourself, you’re a great person. Chloe’s mean, but I bet she’d miss you if you weren’t there,” he added. Nath turned to glare at him.

“Wait, you’re not going?” Marinette asked. Nathaniel’s glare intensified.

“ **Thanks**. No, I’m not going. Chloe’s mean, why should I inflate her ego by attending her dumb party?” he said, not risking a glance at Marinette.

“Humph! Nathaniel Bustier Kurtzberg, I thought you were better than this!” Marinette said with her arms folded in indignation.

“Utoh, Nathie, you’ve made her mad now,” Marc said, letting out a short laugh. Nathaniel squirmed at the use of the nickname, cheeks darkening.

“Nnnghhh, pleeease don’t make me go, I hate crowds,” he moaned.

“Why don’t you both go?” Marinette said, tone softening.

“Huh?”

“The invite has a plus one, you could bring Marc with you. That way, you two could go somewhere quiet if you needed some space, he could be like your chaperone,” Marinette said. It was Marc’s time to begin blushing as Nathaniel turned to face him.

“I, w-well, that’s, it would, uhhh,” the older boy stammered, shifting nervously in his seat, arms flailing in what Alya had affectionately called a Marinette Pinwheel.

“Go on, it’ll be fun! Fancy clothes, fancy food, the whole class together to have fun! I heard Kim’s going to be bringing Ondine with him, that swimmer he keeps talking about, so you won’t be the only one. And it wouldn’t be right if it weren’t everyone, either Adrien OR you. Please?” Marinette said, pushing her hands together.

“Uuuuugh, I hate how good you are at that, seriously, you should become a politician with how good you are at talking people into things! But I really don’t know if I can write a letter…”

“I could help! I’m not a writer for nothing you know!” Marc said, face lighting up.

“Yes! Oh my gosh, that would be so awesome! Thank you, thank you both! I’ll be going to the Agreste estate after school with Papa, he’s making some extra special treats for Gabriel and his staff. Do you think you two can get it done by then?” she asked.

“We’ll see what we can do,” Nathaniel said.

“Thank you!!”

 

“Not a chance in hell. Look at me, Alya. Reeeeeeally look at me. Now get your eyes checked and get a new set of glasses, because do you really think I look like the kinda person who does all that mushy writing crap?” Alix said, strapping one of her skates to her foot.

“Come on Alix! You’re the only person we haven’t got! Marinette’s heading over there in like ten minutes!” Alya said, blocking the gap between the pink haired punk girl and her locker.

“If you really want to send one from everyone, just fake one from me already!” the girl snapped, trying to get past the reporter.

“You know Marinette won’t accept that, it has to be from you, by you!”

“What do you even care, it’s Chloe’s damn celebration, not Marinettes,” Alix replied. Alya sighed, and sagged a moment before shaking back to her senses.

“Marinette is really invested in it, I don’t want to see her disappointed. And, plus, she wants Adrien there for a few reasons…” she said.

“Hopelessly crushing on and doesn’t realise she’s chasing an ideal despite having a chance to spend time with him normally? Kinda like a certain someone and Ladyb…” Alix began, before a hand clamped firmly over her mouth.

“Gremlin, if you say one more word I will… oww… OWWW… **Jesus!!** That actually hurt you little monster, I think I’m bleeding!” she said, pulling her hand back to inspect the bite mark on her palm.

“Don’t put your fingers in the cage if you don’t want them to get bitten,” the girl replied, gnashing her teeth together.

“You really are feral aren’t you?” Alya said, shaking her hand to rid her of the pain that throbbed through it.

“I’m the god damn avatar and you’ve gotta deal with it!” the pink haired girl smirked. Alya rolled her eyes, and sighed.

“I’m pretty sure Korra never bit people. And I’m also pretty sure that watching American cartoons makes you a nerd, not a cool rebel.”

“Says the nerd who recognised the quote.”

“I recognised it because it’s been your screen name on the Ladyblog for six months. In bright red. On every mod thread and almost every ban thread on the entire site, and sometimes I do reconsider appointing you as a mod for the Ladblog,” Alya said, crossing her arms.

“Whatever. Are we done here, I have a date with the skate,” the shorter girl replied, shoving her foot into the other inline skate.

“Letter first,” Alya replied.

“You’re really not letting this go, are you?”

“Nope.”

“And if I still refuse, what’re you going to do about it?” Alix said, eyes narrowing.

“Well, you and I both know that I can’t best you physically. You have the height of a dwarf, but you also have the burly, solid pillar strength of one. And the stubbornness of one. Honestly, give yourself a pink beard and you could be Thralix, son of Thrubdel,” Alya said. Alix glared up at her.

“I ask again. Are we done here?” she said through gritted teeth.

“After you write a letter. Five minutes, to save yourself the indignity,” Alya said.

“And I alr… what indignity?” Alix asked.

“I have my ways, Alix. Or should I say, Alixandra?” Alya replied. Alix’s face fell.

“How… the hell… did you find out…” the girl hissed. Alya shook her finger at her, pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose with a subtle smirk.

“Not part of the deal. Come on, Alix, **please** write something,” she said. The pink haired girl sighed, and pulled a notepad from her bag.

“ **Fine**. But on two conditions. First, if you every utter that abomination of a name to me or anyone else, I will use my particular set of skills to find you and do unspeakable things to you. Secondly, the next time you see Ladybug, you tell her how you feel, how you **really** feel. If I have to listen to another one of you lot pining about your dumb crushes I will snap!” the skater snapped, pushing herself up onto her feet. She scribbled a few words onto the notepad, and handed it to Alya. “Here. Adrien’s cool for a guy, and it would suck not having him at the party,” she said.

“Wow… that’s… that’s exactly what you wrote,” Alya said, turning the paper around once or twice.

“Correct, now you owe me a confession, boss!” Alix said, cackling with glee as she rode from the lockers to the door without any visible effort whatsoever.

 

Marinette hesitated before pressing her hand to the intercom button. The Agreste mansion seemed more and more imposing every time she went there, but she couldn’t let her own nerves get the better of her. She was doing this for someone very important. Chloe and Adrien were depending on her.

“Yes?” Natalie’s sombre and restrained tone crackled out through the speakers. Marinette waved nervously.

“Hello! I’m, uh, Marinette! Oh! D-Dupain-Cheng. Marinette Dupain-Cheng. I’m here to speak to Gabri, Uh, I mean, to Mr Agreste. Please!” she stammered out, less flaily than usual but still no less awkward.

“Mr Agreste is due to leave here at any minute. Any delay could prove costly, I cannot allow you to take up his precious time with your requests,” Natalie replied curtly, before moving to disconnect the video call.

“Marinette?” a familiar voice called out.

“Adrien! I’m here to lop of the dretters! I mean drep off the lotters! I mean, I mean, I have these!” she stammered, presenting the big bundle of letters written by the students of Miss Bustier’s class.

“Wow… I really didn’t think everyone would write letters…” Adrien said, beaming at the TV screen. Natalie flicked a glance at him, the edges of her mouth peaking upwards just a little bit.

“Letters?” an imposing voice asked behind them. “What letters?”

“Oh! Father… I know you said not to bring the subject up again, but, it was concerning the end of year gala planned by Chloe Bourgeois…”

“Adrien, that is enough! I have already told you that your gala attendances have already been scheduled and planned for the next fourteen months, and this impromptu little gathering is hardly worth your time,” the fashion guru stated firmly.

“But, Mr Agreste, please! Every single person in class wrote you a letter saying why you should Adrien should come to the gala!” she said, holding up the bundle again. She pulled a letter from the pile at random, and immediately got a waft of flowery perfume. She tore the envelope open, and began to read the letter.

“Please let Adrien attend the gala. He is our dear friend, and it won’t be the same if we have a celebration without him. He is a cherished part of our ‘family’. That was from Rose Lavillant. Uh… uh… Adrien was a bit stiff at first but now he’s super chill. You should totally let him hang out with us all more often, I think he’d have a blast. That’s from Le Chien Kim, fastest boy in the school. Oh, Kim…” Marinette said, shaking her head a little.

“I do not have time for this, Miss Dupain-Cheng, I am already late for an appointment.” Gabriel said, leaning forward to turn off the intercom.

“Please! At least take the letters and consider reading them. Everyone really want Adrien to attend. We’re all going to be wearing fancy clothes, and there’s a chance the class will be getting split up next year, so we really wanted everyone to get together and have a good time before there was a chance we got split up…” Marinette said, bundle tucked under her arm as she clasped her hands together.

“Nathalie… Adrien and I are heading to the shoot. Please collect the items from Ms Dupain-Cheng and have them placed upon my desk for when I return,” Gabriel said, before walking away from the intercom. Adrien and Marinette shared a look of relief before the screen blanked out.

 

“So, why **are** you being so fierce about this? It’s not like she’ll want to date you because of it,” Trixx commented as he floated next to Alya as she stared at the screen of her computer, dozens upon dozens of tabs open, designs for gown ideas mixed in with shops and ebay tabs.

“Wh-what the heck do you even know! Man, why is everyone on my case about my crushes today…” Alya snapped, swatting idly at the Kwami, which giggled and span around her hand as it dodged. The creature stopped, flittering down to the screen.

“Oooh! This one! You have the frame to pull it off. And I bet Marinette wouldn’t mind pulling it off your frame… EEK!” Trixx went, before dodging another, better aimed swat.

“I **do not** have a crush on Marinette!” she all but growled, glaring at the little creature.

“And that’s the third biggest lie you tell yourself,” Trixx replied, shaking his head. “And yet, you keep believing it, because you humans are just like that,” he added with a little huff.

“I don’t believe it,” Alya said quietly, her voice barely above a croak.

“Hmm?”

“I don’t believe it. The lie that I tell myself. I know how I feel, how could I not? But, I have to lie to myself. I have to keep telling myself that I’m not crushing on Mari, constantly reminding myself not to swing my arms around her neck, not to pull her in for a snuggle, not to clasp her fingers in my hand and pull her next to me when we walk along the Seine. I don’t believe my lie for a second, Trixx, but I have to keep lying, to stop myself from ruining my friendship,” she said, her tone level but cracking right near the end of her speech.

“Oh, my sweet little kit,” Trixx said, zipping back to the girl to nuzzle into her cheek. Alya’s eyes clamped shut as she pushed back at the orange creature, letting out a soft, pained grunt.

“It’s dumb. It’s dumb, it’ll pass eventually, so, no point in thinking about it too much,” she said, coughing a little and rubbing at her eyes. “You said this one? Ouch, that’s eighty five euros. I really only have sixty that I can put towards this…” she said, clicking the cross on the tab.

“Aww, I keep forgetting that money is a thing with humans. Capitalism is so silly! Oh! But, if you need money, why not ask that Chloe girl? She seemed like she has lots of it, I bet she could get you a nice dress,” Trixx said, flitting back to the screen.

“I would rather go naked than go in a dress that Chloe bought me. I would rather go in a suit made of fire, in pumps made of Lego, than go in anything Chloe Bourgeois bought for me,” she said, drumming her fingers on the desk. “I can just imagine her now. ‘Ohohohoho! Crawling to me on your belly, peasant, just for a hand out? How delicious! Bark like a dog and I might consider throwing you a few hundred euros, pennies to me really, but to you, oh so significant!’” Alya said, holding the back of her hand near her mouth. Trixx looked at her a little confused, a shudder running through his body.

“I don’t know why, but I really got reminded of Pollen…” he said, shaking his head to clear it.

 

“Oh! Bless you,” Chloe said, glancing over at the floating black and yellow creature that had just sneezed.

“Thank you, Lady Bourgeois! I do not feel ill, so perhaps someone was speaking off me,” the creature replied, in a rather hoity tone, but it was clear there was mirth behind the comment. Chloe smiled, and shifted position in her armoire.

“Please don’t take this the wrong way, but, who would be talking about you? I thought all you Kwami things were a secret,” she said, glancing into her mirror, diligently removing the makeup for the day.

“We talk of one another, or perhaps the Guardian was talking of me to someone. Or even Hawkmoth, talking to Nooroo about the other Kwami, although, I do not believe he is the sort to spill secrets,” she replied, stroking her chin. “I would advise caution.”

“Caution? Based on your sneeze?” Chloe said, arching an eyebrow, before wiping a cleanser over it.

“Cease your mockery, child. Ladybug may claim to trust the Fox and the Turtle, but you and I can both see that Chat does not, which means they did not choose them together. Ladybug is strong, and intelligent, but not infallible. Those other users could be seeking out the identities of the other Miraculous holders via any means,” she said, looking at Chloe sternly.

“Oh, please! Carapace is a harmless goof, I don’t think he could hurt a fly on purpose, and as for my Foxy, she may be enthusiastic but she’s not going to do anything to put us in danger. I think you’re just being paranoid about a sneeze. It’s dumb. Cute, but still dumb,” Chloe said, wiping the last of the makeup from her face before toppling back from the elaborate chair onto her bed.

“I am not cute. I am elegant,” the Kwami huffed in response. The girl’s phone began to buzz, and she glanced over to it.

“Polleeeeeen,” she said in a pleading tone.

“Chloe Bourgeois, I thought you were turning over a new leaf. No longer asking for favours and leaning on others to do your work for you. I am certain you are not so drained of energy that you cannot reach for your cellular phone,” the Kwami said. Chloe let out a groan, and rolled forward, half slipping from the bed to grab her phone.

“Oh! It’s from Adrikins!” she exclaimed. “His father has read the letters and is currently considering letting Adrien attend! This is wonderful! I must let Marinette know at once!” she said, fingers flashing over the phone to call Marinette.

“Mari! Adrien just texted me! His father is considering letting him go!”

“That’s awesome! Ahh, this is going so perfectly!”

“Do you… do you really think he’ll ask?” Chloe asked, twisting her hair around nervously.

“If he doesn’t, I’ll personally kick his butt until he does!” Marinette replied, getting a little giggle from Chloe in response.

“I’ve booked the caterers, I did ask Marlena first if it was OK, obviously she was my first choice but I wouldn’t have wanted to impose extra work on her if she couldn’t handle it. She said it was very considerate of me to ask, but she and her husband had something planned,” the blonde said, rolling over onto her side.

“That’s excellent, I’m so proud of you Chloe!”

“It’s… it’s only thanks to you,” Chloe said softly, biting her lip. “I would’ve become so much worse if you hadn’t… if you’d not kept giving me chances…” she went on, words catching in her throat.

“Chloe, you don’t need to think that.”

“It’s true though. You kept saving me, you kept trusting me and I kept letting you down. I pushed you so hard you almost…” she said, fighting back her sobs.

“Chloe… please be more careful what you say, someone might figure something out!” Marinette hissed.

“It’s just Pollen here, Mari! Besides, no-one comes to my suite after nine, I’ve made absolutely sure of it. Not through threats, don’t worry. I asked Jean Butler, and yes, that’s his real name, I asked, to ensure that all requests to see me go through him, and he has given me his word,” she said.

“Still… I would much rather you not talk about those activities on this phone, it’s not safe,” Marinette replied.

“I… I understand. Sorry. I’ll be more careful in future. Good night Marinette, Good night Tikki,” she said.

“Gnight Chloe, Pollen!” a chirpy voice came through the phone before the call was cut off. Chloe giggled, knowing that Marinette was likely half-heartedly berating Tikki even now. She let out a gentle sigh, and flopped onto her back again.

“Your schemes are working well, are they not?” Pollen said, dropping down onto Chloe’s stomach.

“I just want Adrien to be happy,” she said softly.

“And indeed he shall be. But what of you, dear Bud? When will you make your intentions and feelings clear?” the Kwami asked.

“Only when an appropriate time presents itself, and whilst I am still a mess, no time is appropriate. I don’t even know what I **am** any more, let alone which of my feelings I should pursue,” she said.

“I suggest you take some time to rest. I would hate for your mind to be addled with thoughts such as these when you have a test tomorrow,” Pollen said, making herself comfortable on Chloe’s stomach.

 

“Does no-one listen to what I say?” Marinette whined as she shut off the phone call. Tikki giggled to herself as she swooshed around the girl, before zipping in to nuzzle at the girl’s cheek.

“It was only a little bit of fun, Marinette. I think it’s wonderful that you have someone you can talk to about everything,” she said, floating back to address the dark haired girl properly.

“Mmmh… I still can’t believe it, it feels odd. Of all the people I thought would figure it out, Chloe was not on the list at all…” Marinette said, focusing not on her Kwami but on her sketch pad. “I need to be more careful in future. Maybe I should…” she mumbled, tapping her pencil to the paper.

“Marinette, you’re thinking too hard again,” Tikki said, prying the pencil out of her hand. “I know that look, you’re overanalysing. Get some rest, you can…” she began, when her phone began to buzz, not a call or text, but news alerts popping up. They shared a glance before Marinette picked up the phone, and let out a weary sigh.

“Akuma. Looks like rest is for those who don’t have to regularly save Paris from itself… Tikki. Spots on!”

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so we begin again. A huge, HUGE thank you to writingforchocolate whose amazing fic inspired me to get writing again, and to secretagentspydetectiveninja who probably regrets that screen name now, for keeping me going, because I am my own worst critic.
> 
> I hope you've enjoyed it so far. It is going to get SOOOOO much gayer from here


	3. Chapter 2: Lies

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, two of the Bee trilogy have been released now.
> 
> They did my girl so wrong, this fic rejects the events of Queen Wasp and diverge from there. Because SOMEONE has to give some love to Chloe, and if the show writers won't, then I sure as hell will.

"Bee!" Rena exclaimed, after the yellow and black hero had called out to her, and begun dashing to her at high speed. She took a hold of the woman tightly, the force of the impact spinning them both in a circle as the cuddled up to one another, a bundle of smiles and giggles.

"Missed you so much! Tell me, did you miss me too?" Queen Bee asked, practically hanging off of the woman, who chuckled, ruffling the woman’s hair softly.

"Like flowers miss sunshine," she replied, smiling warmly. Bee giggled, and hugged into the woman softly.

"Oh Foxy, you are so wonderful. One of these days I might just throw caution to the wind and unmask myself to you," Bee said, teasingly.

"And one of these days, Bee, you might be putting us both in danger. But I appreciate the thought, my adorable little buzzer. But we should focus," Rena said, pulling back from the hug as she glanced across the rooftops at the shadowy figure that was fast approaching.

"One day you might love me like that, my Lady," Chat said teasingly as he landed on the roof nearby, Ladybug hot on his heels.

"One of us would need to grow wings first, Kitty," she replied, though her heart did not seem into the banter today. Her gaze was still fixed on the Akuma. The monster had taken control of the Eiffel tower and was lumbering through Paris, targeting any piece of architecture that dared to be anywhere near as famous as the tower.

"Well, it makes a nice change to the tower getting destroyed…" Bee said, a little nervously.

"And it’s just us today, Carapace says he’s stuck with people and can’t transform. Queen Bee, are you going to be OK?" Ladybug said, glancing to the newest member of the team. The blonde nodded her head firmly, her expression growing serious in an instant.

"You can count on me, Ladybug, I won’t let you down!" she said, giving Rena’s hand a gentle squeeze before leaping up into the air, her wings zipping into a blur before propelling her towards the hulking monster.

"Did you know that by every known law of aviation…" Chat began.

"STOP!" both Rena and Ladybug shouted, jabbing him in the sides. He let out a deflated little sigh, and shook his head.

"Ahh, everything is as it should be," he said with a chuckle, pushing himself off the building with his staff, beckoning for the two heroines to follow as he did.

　

"This is bad, this is really, really bad! Chat! Do you know what Ladybug’s Kwami needs to transform?" Rena called out, holding her flute above her as her whole body pulsed with magical energy. On the floor at her feet, shrouded in a veneer of magic, Ladybug knelt, barely able to keep herself upright at all. Her earrings were beeping frantically, and she had seconds left on her transformation.

"Not off the top of my head… but I know Ladybug is fond of the food from the Dupain-Cheng bakery, that might do the tricky!" the feline hero replied, wincing as he deflected a strike from the metal monster.

"I’ll go! I can get there and back quickest! Rena! Keep that up!" Queen Bee exclaimed, dashing off into the distance.

"Crap…" the stricken hero mumbled, grasping onto Rena for support.

"When you change back… don’t say anything. Trixx explained how the magic works, if I know you at all, I’d recognise you instantly, so… please stay quiet," she said softly.

"Rena…" Ladybug mumbled, before the girl was enveloped in a sheen of pink magic visible only to the illusion casting hero, who promptly shot her head upwards, refusing to look down.

"You’re doing great Chat! I’m sorry I can’t help!" she exclaimed, watching the dark costumed hero fighting back against the colossal Akuma. The thing shifted, looking down at Alya, and seemed to nod. Its focus shifted, and it began to reach its huge girder fingers towards her.

"Chat! I think it may have figured out we’re vulnerable!" she called as the hero dropped next to her.

"I’m doing the best I can! If you would like to try fighting the Eiffel Tower itself, please, feel free to jump in," he said, a little harshness in his words as he flew forwards again, staff ready. The battle raged on for a few more minutes, until Rena’s necklace was down to its last segment.

"Crap… come on Bee… get it together…" she hissed, ducking out of the way of a swinging cable.

"My ears are burniiiing~" a singsong voice called from nearby. Queen Bee dropped to the floor with a flourish, a bag of baked goods in one hand. "At this time of day I expect fresh isn’t the word to describe these, but they’re still good," she said, holding the box of macrons open. Out of nowhere, a flash of red appeared, grabbed two of the treats, and zipped back down into the shroud. Moments later, someone whispered something that Rena couldn’t quite catch, and Ladybug burst out of the shroud.

"Right! Hawkmoth is going to regret this! Bee, get her out of here she has seconds left, then get back here at once!" she said, flicking her yoyo into a tight spin before launching herself into the air.

"This way, come on," Queen Bee said, hurrying Rena into an alleyway and behind a dumpster. "Not the most glamorous of locales, but I’m sure you appreciate we’re on a strict time limit here. Stay safe, cunning Foxy." Rena watched the insect hero dash off, and ducked away as her transformation fell off. She caught Trixx as he fell out of the air, panting weakly.

"You did really well today. You held the illusion for a full four minutes! I’m so proud of you," she cooed, kissing the little creature as it lay in her hands. "I’ll see if I can get Maman to bring home some really nice meat for you."

"You promise?" the little creature said, head perking up. Alya let out a soft giggle, nodding her head. She reached into her bag and pulled out a small pack of jerky, and her phone. "Here, to tide you over in case they need me again. Not going to sneeze at an opportunity like this," she said, wiggling the phone which was already in record mode.

　

"There you are! I was a little worried when you weren’t in the alleyway Bee took you to. Is everything OK, are you hurt?" Ladybug asked as she dropped down by Alya, who tensed up. The girl had picked her way around the rubble and had filmed from there, until the magical Miraculous power had restored everything to normal with their victory.

"Ladybug! I was just getting some footage for the blog. I, uh, didn’t mean to worry you," she said, glancing away from the hero who stepped closer.

"I… wanted to say thank you. For saving me. Back there, I mean. If you hadn’t pushed yourself, your power, Hawkmoth would’ve found out my identity. You didn’t just save me today, you saved my family, my friends, even my teachers and schoolmates," she said, taking hold of Alya’s hand tightly.

"W-well, Trixx did most of the work, I’d call it a team effort," she said, bashfully. The grip on her hand grew tighter.

"Don’t sell yourself short, Alya, you did amazingly today! I know we said that you keeping the miraculous was only a trial, but I truly can’t fathom anyone else being more worthy of it than you. I’m officially giving you the fox Miraculous, permanently. Welcome to the full time hero team!" she said, smiling brightly.

"What? For real? For actual, genuine real? Oh my gosh this means so much, thank you!! Aaaaaah!!! Trixx! Did you hear that?" she said, pulling open her messenger bag.

"I did! We did it Alya! So proud of you my little kit!" the little orange Kwami exclaimed, launching himself up and against the girl’s cheek.

"Ladybug… I…" Alya began, fumbling over her words. "Uh… w-what about Queenie, and Carapace? I know Shell boy couldn’t get here today but he’s been working so hard, and Bee, I swear, she’s almost stolen the position of ‘favourite hero’ away from you on more than one occasion," she went on, avoiding her own original point.

"You’re right… I think… it’s time we all had a long conversation. I need to confirm something with Chat Noir first, but, I think we all need to know a bit more about one another. Including some of our personal lives… as much as I hate to admit it, it is unfair that I know more about almost all of you than you do of me. I’ll get back to you as soon as I can," the red clad heroine said, as her earrings began to beep anxiously. She let out a faint grunt of annoyance, and began to spin her yoyo.

"Ladybug, wait! I…" Alya began, but the hero was already soaring away to the rooftops. "I’m in love with you…" she said, as she watched the girl zip off, letting out a sigh. "That counts, right?" she said, glancing over to Trixx, who shook his head. "Damn. Didn’t think so. Uuugh, Alix is going to kick my butt for that," she said, slipping her phone into her pocket. "Come on, let’s go home, I might actually get a few more hours sleep… Trixx, let’s pounce!

　

Alya slumped down onto her bed, curling to one side. She reached for her phone, and hesitated, considering letting things be for just the one night. She toyed with the idea for all of ten seconds before grabbing the device and unlocking the screen.

*MissLadyblog has logged on*

MissLadyblog: Hey

MemeGremlin: GEEEEEEEEEEEEEET DUNKED ON!!!!!

MissLadyblog: WTF what are you talking about?

MemeGremlin: u blew it

MissLadyblog: How the hell did you figure that out?

MemeGremlin: u live streamed the attack. if u had asked ud either be upset or happy but ur nuthin rn so u didnt tell her

MissLadyblog: Fine, yes, I met with Ladybug for a brief moment or two, but I wasn’t able to tell her how I felt. Are you happy?

MemeGremlin: brief moment my ass you can keep denyin it all u want foxy but u had all the time in the world to tell her u just didnt u coward

MissLadyblog: I keep telling you Alix, I’m not Rena. I don’t care about your coincidence list, I cover all the other heroes as much as I can, but it’s called the LADYBLOG for a reason. Ladybug is the person the site is dedicated to.

MemeGremlin: whatevs. U gunna upload the footage?

MissLadyblog: Yeah, I’ll have to do a bit of editing before it’s worth uploading but I am completely shattered tonight. Gunna do it tomorrow, early.

MemeGremlin: tired from all the fighting?

MissLadyblog: Alix…

MemeGremlin: i got something i can put up neway. Btw had to ban a bunch of pissbaby 4chan incels spamming the blog. honestly some people got nuthin better to do. OH! talking of whiney children chloe was askin about ur number earlier.

MissLadyblog: Uugh. Not sure who I hate more. Probably the former, at least Chloe smells nice and has the decency to be quiet once in a while. Right, gunna log, see if I can get some of this ‘sleep’ thing the kids these days are raving about.

MemeGremlin: u r 15!

*MissLadyblog has logged off*

Alya let out a sigh, closing her eyes tightly.

"Trixx… are you awake?" she asked.

"Mnnnhhh, barely… what is it?" he asked.

"You know you said before… my crush… it was the third biggest lie I tell myself," she asked, rubbing her eyes under her glasses. "What’re my top two?" she asked.

"Oh, that. Well, I mean, top three about you having crushes, you tell yourself bigger lies, all humans do," he said, pushing himself upright.

"Well, what are they then?" she asked, looking down at him.

"Hmm… well, number two is that you’ve convinced yourself you’re in love with Ladybug. You want to be in love with her, but what you do is idolise her," he said. Alya said nothing, processing the information.

"And the biggest love lie you tell yourself is that you and Queenie are ‘friends’," he went on, making the quote gesture with his little arm nubs.

"Wh… we are! She’s adorable, but I’m not in love with her!"

"Denial~" Trixx replied in a singsong voice.

"Ohhh, bah! Forget what you say, dumb Kwami," she said with a huff, rolling to face away from him. Moments drifted by, and she rolled back over, glaring at him.

"What’s my biggest lie. Like, the absolute biggest lie out of everything?" she asked.

"Alya, you don’t want to do this to yourself, just get some sleep."

"Please."

"Fine. But after, I am going to sleep, and you don’t get to ask any more questions. Deal?"

"Deal."

"The biggest single lie you tell yourself is that you hate Chloe Bourgeois. Good night!" the Kwami said, snuggling down into her dresser draw, which magically slammed shut with him inside it. Alya lay there, slack jawed, for a good two minutes.

"Damn…" she mumbled to herself, glancing back at her phone. She tapped open her contacts list, and scrolled all the way down to the bottom. She cursed silently once or twice, before clicking on the name.

To: ZZZDONOTANSWERZZZ

Chloe, it’s Alya. Tomorrow, before school. Can we talk?

　

"Hey dude! What’s shakin’?" Nino called out as Adrien stepped out of the car. The blonde turned to his friend and smiled, then frowned at the forlorn expression on his friend’s face.

"Nothing’s wrong with me, but is everything fine with you?"

"Just thinking about last night, man. Wish I could’ve helped," Nino began. Adrien shushed him quickly, waving goodbye to Nathalie as the car moved away.

"Come on, we can talk inside," Adrien said, in a hushed tone. Once inside, the boys made their way to the locker area, and Nino slumped down onto the bench. A shape behind them shifted a little, but it went unnoticed by either of them.

"I couldn’t get away from my folks, and it would’ve been totes weird if I’d run out on potato night. It’s like a family tradition," he said, as Adrien grabbed a few books from his locker.

"I understand Nino, you told us early, that’s the important bit. We handled it, you don’t need to feel so guilty," he replied, sitting next to his friend with an arm resting over his shoulders.

"I… yeah, you’re right. But I still wish I could’ve been there to help out, you guys took a real battering, Ladybro especially," he said, head still slumped.

"Uh…" a soft, timid noise sounded, but neither boy seemed to notice.

"Hey, come on, stop being so hard on yourself. Look at me," Adrien said, tilting his friends head up. "We survived, we kicked butt, and no-one found anything out," he said, smiling warmly. Nino couldn’t help but light up at the smile, nodding his head before smiling himself.

"Yeah, alright! Team Miraculous!" he said, before hunching down a little, forgetting how much echo the locker rooms had.

"Shhh!" Adrien hissed, putting his finger to his lips.

"Sorry bro."

"It’s fine, I don’t think anyone heard. Oh, while I remember, My Lady does want us all to meet up this Saturday at midnight. It’s after the gala so we should be OK, but if it runs long you may need to help me escape the Gorilla for a little bit," Adrien said. Nino nodded, pouting a little. "Oh, what?"

"Nothing…"

"Wh…. I said it again didn’t I?" Adrien asked, and Nino nodded his head. "Sorry. I am trying to stop doing that," he went on.

"I know, and I get it bro, habits are hard to kick," he said. Adrien nodded, and smiled sweetly.

"They are. But sometimes, it’s good to replace them with healthier habits. So how about, whenever I say it in future, I have to do… this," he said, leaning forward to kiss the boy on the cheek. Nino’s cheeks began to burn instantly, and he grabbed the brim of his hat, covering his eyes and face as he let out a little squeak of joy, masking another little squeak in the room.

"Th-that’s fine I guess…" he mumbled, as Adrien chuckled softly. The boys sorted their lockers and left a few moments later, and neither of them noticed the intense look of shock on Juleka’s face as she stared at them.

　

"Marinette!" A voice called as the dark haired girl wandered across the road towards school. She turned to see Mylene and Ivan waving at her from a little way away.

"Mylene! Ivan! You’re both here early! Or, am I running late again?" she said, checking her phone.

"No, we’re early, we wanted to talk to you. Um… privately," Mylene said, glancing around nervously. The trio made their way into school exchanging pleasantries, before taking a turn into the school’s library. They checked to make sure they were alone, before settling down at one of the tables.

"What’s up? Everything OK?" Marinette asked, looking across at her two nervous friends. Mylene was wringing her hands together and Ivan looked incredibly sheepish, balling and unballing his fists.

"W-well… um… do you think that anyone would mind if we… didn’t go to the gala?" Mylene said. Marinette let out a little gasp, but held her full reaction back.

"W-That’s… I thought we… um… w-why, if you don’t mind me asking," she managed, brain running in eight different directions at once.

"It’s embarrassing…" Ivan rumbled. "I don’t want to put my mums out getting me stupid fancy clothes, and even though Mylene looks beautiful in anything,"

"Oh, stop!" Mylene said with a giggle, elbowing the bow with some considerable force.

"…even though, she doesn’t have anything that fits in with a big, fancy ball or nuthin…" Ivan finished, scratching at the back of his head.

"Oh thank goodness!" Marinette said, sighing with relief. Both her friends regarded her with some confusion. "Oh, nonono! I mean, thank goodness it’s a problem I can solve, if you had to go somewhere else that’s be harder to deal with, but I can absolutely help with this! Chloe actually thought this might be a problem," Marinette said. Ivan recoiled, and growled a little.

"You better watch what you say next Marinette…" he said, cracking his knuckles. Marinette regarded him for a few moments, her own words registering in her ears.

"Ack! I’m sorry, I didn’t mean like that! Chloe set aside some of the budget for the event for hiring clothing! She said she knew not everyone was in the same situation as her financially and she didn’t want to burden them with having to deal with the added expense," Marinette said, bringing up an app on her phone. She clicked into an account, and brought it up on the screen for them to see. "Look, she has an account with Panoply, she said anyone could use it and it wouldn’t record their names," she said, as Mylene took the phone.

"Chloe really did this? You don’t have to give her credit Marinette, if you…"

"She really did! I hadn’t even considered it because, well, I make most of my clothes, but she really surprised me with how considerate she was being about everything," Marinette interrupted, brow furrowed sternly.

"O-Oh. Well… that is nice of her. Ivan, what do you think? I bet your Mama Yvette and Maman Mimi would think you handsome in a suit," Mylene said, glancing to him. He mumbled something, and nodded his head. "Would it be OK if we took a bit of time to look over things before putting in anything?" She asked.

"Sure! Let me know before Thursday though, Chloe says they sometimes take a day to get everything ready, and having a day to be able to sort out problems is always good," Marinette said, smile returning now that the situation had been sorted. As she took her phone back from Mylene to give her the login details, it began to buzz.

"Oh! Chloe? Something wrong?"

"We need to talk!" a sobbing voice came from the other end of the line.


	4. Chapter 3: Longing

Chloe watched Marinette walk into the school with Mylene and Ivan in tow, cursing that she hadn’t gotten the chance to speak to her before Alya turned up. She hadn’t been expecting Alix to roll over to her, a look of concern on her face.

"Don’t get me wrong, Bourgeois, I’m not the biggest fan of you, but Alya is really on the warpath. Don’t try doing any bridge mending and definitely don’t rub what she’s going to ask in your face. Seriously. It will not end well for either of you," the girl said, hand running through her pink locks nervously.

"I can fight my own battles, pipsqueak. But… uugh, thank you, for warning me. I assume you know what this is about?" Chloe asked.

"I’ve been told."

"And what about you?"

"Are you kidding, I go to those things like once a month, remember? I gotta because Jalil’s so hopeless he can’t even look smart in a ten thousand euro suit. On the other hand, I look sexy in rags so I got no problems," Alix said, smirking. She glanced down the road and her eyes widened. "Ah crap, here comes the storm. Have fun," she said, pushing away from Chloe, who turned to see Alya walking towards her. Her expression was sour and she looked like she had barely gotten sleep.

"Good morning," Chloe hazarded.

"Not really, and already getting worse," Alya growled. Chloe bit her tongue, and took a short breath.

"You wanted to speak to me," she said, trying not to turn the phrase into an accusation aimed at the woman.

"Don’t remind me. Damnit… I need a favour. And I know, the very idea of you doing me a favour boils my blood and somehow chills me spine at the same time, but you’re thgghhh…" Alya began, before stopping, and shuddering. "You’re the only person I can ask," she finished through gritted teeth.

"Ask," Chloe asked, trying desperately not to grin, or sound smug.

"I need to borrow a hundred euros so that I can buy a dress that makes me look pretty," Alya said, her voice barely above a whisper.

"You… what?"

"I need to borrow some money, OK! Are you happy? Enjoying that you get to see me beg you for some god damn cash because I don’t want to look like a mess at your stupid gala even though…" Alya began, biting her tongue before she revealed any more. Chloe recoiled at the raised voice, and it took every fibre of herself to not rub this revelation in Alya’s face.

"You… you know… there was… Marinette has… people can hire outfits on my account… for the event. You could just ask her for help," Chloe managed, hands clenching and unclenching as she did so. Alya shivered again, rage subsiding but something else taking its place.

"I can’t ask her," she said quietly.

"Why?"

"Because I… it would… it’s…"

"Hmm?"

"I want to…. For her, and… it’s…"

"Oh for the love of god, spit it out Cesaire!" Chloe snapped, eyes widening at her own anger.

"I want it to be a surprise for her! I want to show off how good I look for her, and I can’t do that with the savings I have or her knowing what I’m hiring!" Alya snapped back, her own eyes widening moments later. "Chloe, you, you have to,"

"Oh my god!" Chloe said, unable to properly articulate the feelings that swirled inside her. Vindication, superiority, jealousy, camaraderie, and oh so much more battered her psyche from all sides.

"Chloe, I swear, you can’t say a word."

"OH MY GOD!"

"Chloe, I swear, if you breathe a single word of this to anyone."

"You have a crush on Marinette! You’re so in love with her, oh my god!"

" **I swear to whatever hellspawn you worship if you don’t fucking shut up right now** ," Alya all but screamed, as Chloe, for reasons unknown even to herself, began to giggle.

"How could I not see this before, you want her so bad!" she managed between her giggles.

" **Shut up! Shut up shut up shut up shut up!** " Alya screamed repeatedly.

"And you… you’re helping her win Adrien, oh, you absolute fool, what, you think she’ll fall for you if you help her and he shoots her down, w-" Chloe went on, until, in a moment of white hot rage, Alya stepped back, reared her arm upwards, and slapped the girl firmly on the face. Chloe stopped, eyes wide, hand slowly rising to her face. Alya stood before her, panting and visibly shaking, as the two girls locked eyes for a moment. Before Chloe could speak, Alya span on her heels, and began to run, kicking up stones and dust as she turned. Hand shooting to her phone, Chloe was barely able to dial Marinette’s number as her eyes began to blur with tears, pain shooting through her face.

"We need to talk!" she squeaked into her phone, barely able to hold back the tears.

　

"Fuck fuck fuck fucking fuck! God damn it, pick up! Pick up, pick up!" Alya snapped as she ran, trying desperately to get hold of Marinette, Nino and Alix alternately. None of them were picking up their phones. She wiped her eyes with an arm, nearly running into a cyclist, a bin, and a suited man reading a newspaper as she did so.

"Alya! Slow down, you’ll get yourself hurt!" Trixx called up to her from her bag, but he was jostled back into it by her movements.

"I don’t care, whatever, I don’t even care!" Alya snapped, running out into the road. There was a screech of tyres, a blast of a horn, and a crunch of metal buckling and glass smashing. Alya barely registered the carnage to her left as she ran on, ducking into an alleyway.

"Oh my god… Oh god, I can’t breathe. Trixx, help me, I can’t even breathe!" she managed, tears rolling down her cheeks as she gasped for air.

"You’re panicking dear kit, and you need to ground yourself. Try screaming, it always makes me feel better," he said, before flinching away as Alya let out a guttural, visceral wail, gulped a lung full of air in, and screamed again.

"Fuck Chloe Bourgeois! Fuck having feelings! Fuck my life!" Alya screamed, slumping down onto the ground as she continued to sob.

"Alya…"

"The worst damn part is she was being really nice! If she’d been a bitch this wouldn’t feel so bad, but she was being a decent person! I’m the bitch!" Alya lamented, hitting her head back against the stone wall, wincing at the surge of pain.

"Try taking a few deep breaths, let your body catch up to your head," the Kwami said, flitting about with concern. "Your friends are probably at school. Maybe you should…" he began, before flinching, and ducking out of sight into Alya’s flannel.

"Trixx?" Alya mumbled, before finally glancing around the inset doorway she had slumped against. On the main street, a car had turned to one side, and had run into a lamppost. The driver looked like he had been arguing with a policeman who had been nearby, and had been insisting that the accident wasn’t his fault, which, it dawned on Alya, it wasn’t, it was hers. She made a move to go back, to own up to her mistake, when she noticed a halo of purple around the woman’s eyes.

"I… I caused an Akuma…" she said through her sobs. "Trixx, we need to make things right. Let’s pounce!" she exclaimed. Blinding orange light filled the area for a second or two, and Rena Rouge emerged, leaping up towards the rooftops. She pushed the phone part of her flute upwards, and began to dial.

"Bee… I need my Bee…" she said quietly, still sobbing gently.

　

"Chloe! Oh my god, what happened to your cheek?" Marinette exclaimed as she walked out of the College, jaw dropping at the sight of the huge red mark on Chloe’s cheek.

"Not important right now, I think Alya might be becoming an Akuma," she said, pulling Marinette in closer.

"Chloe, what happened?" Marinette asked sternly.

"Um…"

"Chloe…"

"Alya revealed something she didn’t intend to to me and I might not have responded in the best way possible and she got mad and upset and she slapped me and ran off and I didn’t know what to do because even though I wasn’t mean I wasn’t nice either but I didn’t know what else to say and…" Chloe began, sobs peppered among her speech as she went on.

"I… see… Well, we can’t exactly go and…" Marinette began, but halted when she felt something in her ear, right as Chloe held up a hand.

"My Comb…" Chloe mumbled. "I think someone is trying to call Queen Bee," she said in hushed tones.

"It’s Rena Rouge. She’s trying to get in contact with everyone!" Tikki pipped as she poked her head up from Marinette’s bag.

"An Akuma? Two so close together…" Marinette asked, as more of a statement than a question.

"Poor Alya… Although, I’m rather glad that ‘Chloe Bourgeois’ gets to not be around for this one…" Chloe said, as she and Marinette rushed over to the nearby bushes.

"We don’t know for sure if it’s Alya. Better to assume it’s just another Akuma. Someone once taught me about not making assumptions based on these things before, miss Antibug," Marinette said, poking Chloe on the nose. The blonde began to blush brightly, spluttering a response.

"Tikki, Spots on!"

"Pollen! Let Lithe Wings Rise!"

　

"Spots on is to the point, but where’s the grandeur, where’s the panache?" Queen Bee said as she flew alongside the swinging Ladybug.

"That’s what Tikki told me to say, so that’s what I say. Maybe Pollen is just a drama queen?" Ladybug replied, causing her companion to giggle.

"It wouldn’t surprise me, she is almost as bad as I am," Bee replied. "Oh… oh no…" she added, pointing in a particular direction. The Akuma looked like a merging of machine and person. "Oh my god, it’s a Transformer. He literally turned a person into a Transformer, does he have no shame whatsoever?" Bee snapped, landing on a nearby rooftop.

"What happened to all the buildings?" Ladybug asked, looking around them. All the nearby buildings had seemingly melted, and had become a smooth, flat surface that the akuma was spreading across the city. The monstrous woman let out a roar, and flailed at something nearby, a flash of orange zipping around it.

"Rena!" Bee exclaimed, and apparently, her voice was enough to attract the woman’s attention, because, moments later, she was sailing through the air, propelled by a blast of what looked like shimmering, wavy air from the Akuma. She landed hard on the next roof over, stumbled and rolled before picking up speed and charging towards the two newly arrived heroines.

"RUN!" she screamed, as the shimmering air lowered down into the building, causing it to shake, to vibrate, and to begin to liquefy. Rena leaped, and just managed to escape the building before it turned to black, tar-like sludge. She dropped onto the building and kept going grabbing Ladybug with one hand and Bee with the other, pulling them along as the beam of waves began to follow.

"What the hell is the deal with this one?" Queen Bee asked as she flitted up and away from Rena’s grip.

"Carcrash, motorist who got into an accident that wasn’t her fault, smashed her car up. Hawkmoth merged her with it after she got a ticket for reckless driving, now she wants to turn the whole city into one big tarmac lot so the cars can go wherever they want," Rena explained mid run, reaching to grab Queen Bee again. She jumped, pulling Ladybug behind her, and used Bee’s position in the air to swing herself and Ladybug away from the path of the beam. She landed, panting, twisting so that she wasn’t looking at them directly.

"So, it’s not Alya Cesaire then?" Queen Bee asked. Rena arched an eyebrow.

"N-no. Why, what happened to Cesaire? She’s the Ladyblog girl, right?"

"According to someone close to her, she was recently involved in an incident and we were worried it may have been her. Lady Wifi’s powers are formidable," Ladybug said, fixing a glare at Rena, who glanced away.

"She might have been involved in this, but she’s not the Akuma. I saw her run and hide somewhere though, so she’s safe, she’s even promised not to try and get any footage this time," Rena said softly. "I need to take a minute or two, I already had to use my Mirage to even the odds. She’s a very powerful Akuma, be careful girls," she said, looking over to Queen Bee.

"Look after yourself too, Foxy," Queen Bee said, nodding her head and giving the girl’s hand a gentle squeeze.

　

"OK, does **anyone** have a clue where the damn item is?" Chat Noir snapped as he pulled himself upright. He had just been tossed a good distance by the transforming villain, and had landed with the grace of a cat, but it had still hurt him to do it.

"I still think it’s a ticket, or a fine or something, but I can’t for the life of me find it!" Rena said, twirling her flute once or twice.

"This chick’s tough… I’m out in about four minutes," Carapace said, brushing a lock of hair from his forehead. "Took my Shellter to stop that beam, and even that was looking strained.

"Ladybug? Anything?" Queen Bee asked, as the red heroine continued to stare at the item gifted to her by her ability.

"I’m struggling. Usually, the answer is right there, but this?" she said, holding up a pair of fluffy dice. "What am I even supposed to do with this?"

"Put it inside the Akuma and make it a little bit more tacky?" Rena said.

"Inside the Akuma…" Ladybug muttered. "That’s it! If the ticket isn’t outside in their hands, it must be inside the car! We need to get it into car mode and find the item that way!" Ladybug said. "Bee, Rena, you’re the only ones of us who have their powers left. Do you think you can do this?" she asked, holding out the fuzzy dice. Both girls exchanged a glance, and, as one, they smirked.

"Definitely!"

"You can count on us, LB!"

"Good. The boys and I will distract her as long as possible before retreating. I hope you’ve got a plan, because if we all go on cooldown, that thing could destroy half of Paris before we’re recovered," Ladybug said.

"So… do we have a plan?" Queen Bee asked a few moments later, as she followed on after the prankster heroine. Rena dropped from the slanted, derelict roof to the ground, and nodded her head.

"Kind of. It’s… OK, it’s dumb but… have you ever watched Revolutionary Girl Utena? The movie, not the show," she said, twisting the fluffy cubes in her hand. Queen Bee arched an eyebrow.

"I would probably lose a few points on my queer nerd card if I hadn’t," the girl replied.

"Good. Because I’m going to pull an Utena, and turn into a car…" the girl said.

"I do hope you mean that some way other than literally, otherwise I might think you’ve gone crazy, Foxy," Bee replied.

"I do. We’ll need your speed and my special, but I think it might just work," she said, pointing down a nearby street, where a number of parked cars lay, relatively untouched by the destruction.

　

A minute or so later, Queen Bee approached the human-machine hybrid, driving a sleek orange and black sports car. The transforming Akuma regarded her with some amusement.

"What is this?" she growled, looking down at the heroine.

"Well, since you seem insistent on turning Paris into a haven for cars, I thought I’d have a little drive. I bet you can’t keep up with me," Bee said, smirking as she flicked her hair away from her eyes.

"Fat chance!" the akuma roared.

"Prove it!" Bee said, focusing herself on the road ahead. She tensed, and the car began to shoot forwards, engine roaring, the Akuma shifting into its vehicle mode to chase after her.

"This is going well! Thank goodness for the vanity of Akumas," Rena whispered. The vehicle itself was an illusion, created by the foxy heroine, as she sat on Queen Bee’s back. The buzzing blonde seemed more strained, her wings blurring as they moved.

"Just make sure you’re ready to jump, it’s difficult maintaining this speed!" she snapped, and Rena nodded.

"Hahahahaha! I already caught you, Buzzy Bee! And now, I’m going to zoom past you! And then, I’m going to break you apart!" Carcrash cackled, her voice sounding like it was coming from a radio within the vehicle that was fast approaching behind them. Rena rolled her eyes.

"Rena. Be careful. If she starts to change back, get out of there, we don’t know if you’d be safe," Queen Bee said softly.

"I’ll be safe, Queenie," Rena replied, teasing the words into the heroine’s ears. "You have my guarantee. OK, keep it level, get me a little closer… now!" she said, as the Akumatised vehicle drew level with them. After a moment or two to brace herself, the fox heroine leaped, and the illusion vanished, leaving the flying bee to peel away from them. Rena managed to land on the bonnet of the car, and with a quick twist, kicked at the glass wind shield, smashing it in the process.

"Noooooo!!!"

"Come on, come on, where is it?" Rena muttered, frantically searching through the vehicle’s compartments, until, with a stroke of Ladybug’s lucky inspiration, she remembered the dice. She hung them over the mirror, which brought her eyes to the sun visors, and behind one of them, a black and purple sheet. "There we go!" she exclaimed.

"No! Give that back!" the Akuma shrieked, twisting and flailing as she began to change back into her humanoid form.

" **Foxy! Get out of there!** " Queen Bee exclaimed, bobbing back down closer as Rena struggled to get herself free.

"Nnnhhh!!! I’m….AAAH!!!!" Rena screamed, feeling tight metal compress around her, squeezing every inch of her body. Queen Bee flew in even closer, reaching for the girl’s gloved hand.

"NO!" Carcrash snarled, swatting at Queen Bee, trapped mid transformation.

"Rena! Destroy the item!" Ladybug yelled from a nearby building, scrambling to get closer to the combat as she searched for the Miraculous item. The call distracted Queen Bee just enough to allow Carcrash to get a solid hit on the agile hero, sending her slamming into the rubble at high speed.

" **BEEEEE!!!** " Rena screamed. She gripped the ticket firmly in her teeth, and with her one free hand, tore the laminated thing apart with a snarl. She then wrestled herself free, leaping away from the metal amalgam as Ladybug arrived to deal with the Akuma.

"No more evil doing for you!" Ladybug cried, as Rena landed next to the still downed Queen Bee.

"Bee! Bee! Come on, speak to me, girl, you have to be OK! Come on, please, PLEASE!" she whimpered, cupping the unconscious girl’s face in her hands. With the adrenaline of the fight wearing off, and her power boost from Trixx winding down with the timer, everything crashed over the girl at once, and she began to sob, cradling the wounded girl in her arms. She barely noticed as the Miraculous Cure washed over them both,

"Rena…" Bee mumbled, as she regained her consciousness. "My time… I barely have a minute."

"Rena, Bee, you need to get out of here!" Ladybug said, and Rena scooped up the fallen heroine, dashing off into the distance. She pulled around a corner, and ducked into an alley.

"Bee… I just… I need you to know… I need… you," Rena whispered back, touching her forehead to the blonde’s own.

"I…" Bee replied, her beeping now shrill and urgent. "I do too. But you have to go!" she squeaked, as her body began to shine with bright light. Rena stood, her own beeping less urgent, eyes clamped shut.

"Don’t speak. Don’t say anything. Just…" Rena mumbled, hand shakily rising, the backs of her fingers brushing against Chloe’s cheek, making the blonde wince. Despite the Miraculous Cure, her cheek still stung from being slapped. "You make everything easier to deal with. Thank you… for being an inspiration," she whispered, leaning forward to touch her forehead to the girl again. Despite her trepidation, Chloe leaned into the hug. Wordlessly, she took hold of Rena’s hand, and brought it to her lips, brushing them against her fingers softly. Rena let out a little whimper as she held on to her friend tightly, her warning noises now too loud and too frequent to ignore.

"Until we meet again, my liege," she whispered, moving to step back. She leaped up to the roof tops, her eyes still tightly shut, heart pounding against her chest. She barely got three steps onto the roof before she transformed back into Alya, stumbled, and fell to her knees as Trixx drifted lazily to the ground in front of her. Alya’s hand clamped over her mouth and screamed into it as her cheeks grew more and more flush.

"Oh my god I have a crush on Queenie," she whimpered.


	5. Chapter 4: Lending

It was a sheepish and demure Alya that returned to College Francois Dupont that afternoon. Classes were usually cancelled if the Akuma was someone from the school, but Mr Damocles decided that since the school hadn’t been directly affected, it did not do to disrupt routine.

"If you think about it, it’s his way of fighting Hawkmoth. ‘Your Akumas won’t scare us into running and hiding’, something like that," Adrien said as he, Nino and Marinette trudged up the steps a little way behind her.

"Oh! Alya! There you are, I was so worried!" Marinette called out to the girl, who jumped at her friend’s voice.

"Oh, uh… hey… Marinette. Um. Have you… spoken to Chloe today?" Alya asked, looking a little guilty. Marinette’s expression fell, and she glanced to one side.

"Guys, could you give us a minute or two," she said, glancing to Nino and Adrien.

"Um…" a voice said from the top of the steps. "I would like to talk to Nino and Adrien…" Juleka managed to say, glancing around nervously.

"That works out perfectly! We’ll catch up in a little bit," Marinette said. She waited until she and Alya were alone, before turning back to her friend. "Chloe and I have spoken. She hasn’t told me what the fight was about, and frankly I don’t care, what were you even thinking, Alya!?" she exclaimed, making Alya recoil from her anger. She wasn’t used to seeing Marinette so angry.

"I… I was…" she stammered.

"Chloe has been trying so hard to make amends and you do this!"

"I know! I know… I got angry, and, and… I did something stupid, really, colossally stupid, and I’m sorry, and I got scared and I just had to run, and then, there was the Akuma, and…" Alya began, stopping when Marinette stepped forward and wrapped her arms around her, hugging her tightly.

"Please don’t run off like that again, I was so scared for you," Marinette said quietly. Alya let out a faint whimper and returned the hug, arms shaking with the tightness she held her friend.

"I’m sorry," she whispered. Marinette broke the hug a little while later, and pulled back, putting her stern face back on.

"I’m still mad at you! I want you to apologise to Chloe as soon as you can," she said, pointing an accusatory finger at Alya, who gulped.

"Oh, uh… she probably won’t want to speak to me," Alya replied, following on after Marinette as she began to head up the steps.

"She was worried about you too, you know. She might not be as happy to see you, but she’ll still be relieved. Just apologise, from the heart, like you did just now, and I’m sure everything will be OK," she said, giving Alya’s hand a squeeze.

"I’m gunna hold you to that, girl. There’s a chance Chloe and I would straight up murder one another," she said, walking into the locker room.

"That would never happen. I’m almost certain I could beat you in a fight to the death," Chloe said from across the way.

"Oops, I guess Chloe was in here. Good luck!~" Marinette said, in a singsong voice that did a terrible job of hiding the anger in her voice as she pushed Alya further into the room, pulling the door shut behind her.

"I trusted you…" Alya said, slapping her hand against the door, resulting in Marinette giggling from behind it. She turned to Chloe, heart sinking. "Hey…"

　

"Whoa, Jules, where you taking us, what’s so urgent?" Nino asked as he and Adrien followed after the girl, who seemed even more skittish and nervous than usual.

"Can’t risk anyone hearing," she said cryptically, glancing into one of the classrooms. The art room was usually free, and, save for Nathaniel and Marc, this morning it was. Juleka pulled them into the room and fixed a glare at the redhead, who flinched despite himself.

"Hey, Juleka, what’s…" he began.

"Need the room. Please leave," she said, looking deeply at him with her one uncovered eye. She glanced to Marc, who was waving at Nino, who nodded back at him sheepishly. Juleka’s eye widened, and she span, pointing to Marc and then to Nino, letting out a grunt of irritation.

"This is Exactly! Why! I need! The room!" she snapped, spinning back to face Nathaniel. "PLEASE. I’ll start warning you about Rose’s perfumes again," she said, and the boy frowned.

"Wow, OK, this must be important. Good luck," Nath said, gesturing to Marc to follow him as he packed up his art. With the door closed, Juleka stood facing away from the boys, gathering herself.

"So, uh… What did you need, Juleka?" Adrien asked.

"Bi Noir. Damn. I was trying to think up a better one, but that will have to do. Bi Noir and Caragayce. That one was easier," she said, almost as if talking to herself, before turning to face the boys. Her face grew bright red, and she turned back, squeaking.

"Uh… are you, like… broken, ladybro?" Nino asked, moving forwards.

"You’re guys, gay. I mean, you’re gay. Guys. You’re gay guys you’re gayuys," she said, turning back to face them with burning red cheeks.

"What are you talking about?" Adrien asked, his voice cracking a little to betray his nervousness.

"I saw you two kiss! Earlier today, in the locker room. And you were talking about Ladybug like you knew her, and then you vanished when the Akuma attack happened and it all made so much sense. You’re Bi Noir and Caragayce," she said, looking them up and down.

"We… Damn, I can’t help it, that’s some good bad jokes right there," Adrien said, shoulders sagging a little.

"Bro…" Nino said, sighing at the boy.

"Nino, I’m not going to deny it. Although, I’m not actually Bi, I’m pan, but that doesn’t help much with the pun either."

"Bro!!" Nino snapped, then stopped, as he heard a noise that he hadn’t heard in almost eight years. Juleka was giggling. Unaware of the rarity of the event, Adrien glanced between them, confused.

"Sorry, I… I couldn’t help it, you two are adorable together," she said, once she had regained her composure. "Um… about, well, both things really, I’m not going to tell anyone, I swear. I know how being forced to reveal a secret can sting, so I’ll just… I know nothing, OK," she said, brushing at her hair nervously.

"Thank you, we really appreciate it," Adrien said, brushing Juleka’s shoulder gently.

"Yeah, much respect ladybro. My folks would kill me if they found out I was dressing up in spandex every other night," he said, earning a chuckle from Adrien and an eye roll from Juleka.

"Was that everything?" Adrien asked.

"Actually… I wanted to…" she began, before growing shyer once again.

"Come on, you gotta tell us, it’s only fair since you found out our big secrets," Nino said, poking the girl in the ribs.

"I wanted to know who confessed to who, and how they did it. I… I’m not the most confident, and… there’s no way I’d be able to tell the person I was crushing on about how I felt," she said, still fiddling with her hair.

"Rose?" Adrien asked, arching an eyebrow.

"Everyone assumes that. Rose has been my friend for forever, we’re practically sisters. No. I have a crush on…" she began, before pausing, and leaning in closer, whispering.

　

"Alix! Hey, Alix! Earth to Skate Gremlin!" Kim called, waving at the pink haired punk girl as he and Max entered the classroom. Loud, rocking music was blaring out of the girls oversized headphones, and she regarded him for a moment before rolling her eyes and focusing back on the book in her hand.

"Aww, that’s just cold, come on, I want your advice!" he said, walking up to her. He pulled the headphones aside from both sides as once, and let them snap back against her head.

"OWW! Hey, what’s the big idea, jackass?" she snapped, pulling them around her neck.

"He has a problem that requires a feminine approach," Max said, sitting at his desk. A computerised chuckle came from his wristwatch, which was blue, and somewhat bulbous.

"Then why the hell did he come to me?" she snarled, glaring up at the smug looking Asian, who smirked.

"I told you. When you think the word Feminine, Alix Kubdel comes up with the phrase ‘One hundred percent the opposite of this’ next to her," he said, earning himself a swift elbow in the ribs from the girl.

"Y’can fuck off now," she said, pulling the headphones back over her ears, only to have them yanked away a moment later. "WHAT?" she growled.

"What do you think I should get Ondine for her birthday?" he asked, hands clasped together pleadingly. Alix stared at him deadpan for a moment or two.

"You do recall the bollock punching policy I have regarding that leviathan, correct?" she said, cracking her knuckles as she pushed herself out of her chair.

"Come on Alix, please, you’re like, my best female friend, I need your help, I can’t blow this!" Kim said, subconsciously taking a step or two away from the girl.

"You do always have an alternate option. My relationship with… uh… she who will not be named… is going very well. I could request her aide in this endeavour," Max said, hesitating over the name of his girlfriend as Alix shot him a glare so riddled with anger and irritation that he could have sworn he felt fingers around his throat.

"Y’know, I am getting so sick of this. Waah, Alix, I have a crush on a superhero and I don’t know what to do, Waah, Alix, what should I buy my girlfriend, Waah, Alix, I’m dating satan’s meaner older sister, how should I woo her? FUCK this noise, I’m out, tell Bustier I broke my fist on the wall or something, I don’t care," she said, grabbing the headphones from Kim.

"Alix, I’m sorry. Come on, don’t be like this…" he called out after her as she stomped towards the door.

"Be like what, Kim? Angry that my best friends literally only talk to me now about their stupid crushes and their girlfriends? Fed up of constantly being referred to as goblin, or gremlin, or half pint? Sick to death of useless hormones telling me I’m worthless for not getting jabbed and having my eggs scrambled for yet another month? Pissed off to high heaven that for the last however many god damn months I have heard about everyone having a god damn crush on someone else, and the one name that never fucking comes up is **mine?** " she said, screaming the last word before slamming the door to the classroom, rattling the glass in the windows on both sides of the room as she did so.

　

Chloe looked across at Alya, arms folded across her chest. The brunette stepped forward, slowly, letting her bag drop gently to the floor.

"So, uh…" Alya said, before falling silent. She glanced around the room, but found nothing that could potentially get her out of the awkwardness of the situation. She took a deep breath, and tried to find some words, but nothing came. Luckily, Chloe decided to speak.

"I’ve not told her the truth. And I’m not going to. No-one deserves their heart ripped out like that," she said, fixing Alya in the eyes. Alya nodded her head, leaning back against the lockers.

"Thank you," she said quietly, her voice crackling with the strain of keeping her emotions in check. Just thinking about her outburst was getting her close to tears again. They remained in silence again for a few moments.

"Are you aware, that that’s the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me?" Chloe said, breaking the silence. Alya arched her eyebrows.

"That can’t be true," she said.

"I mean, it might not be the absolute nicest thing, but, it’s the nicest memorable thing. Every time I think back to times you and I have interacted, it’s been bitching and griping and snipping. You hate me," Chloe said, approaching Alya.

"I…" the darker girl began, but Chloe continued.

"I don’t blame you. I was a bitch. Still am, really, but, I’m working on it. Marinette is making me work on it."

"She has infinite patience," Alya said, despite herself. Chloe let out a hollow laugh, and dropped onto the bench opposite Alya.

"She doesn’t. That’s what’s brought this on, this… change, me, changing who I am. After the altercations with my parents being Akumatised, Marinette and I shared something, something I’m not at liberty to discuss, but, she told me that she was nearly Akumatised herself," she went on, as Alya pushed forward onto her feet again.

"Now that I don’t believe. Mari’d never let herself get that far angry or sad, she’s too nice for it."

"Believe it. Do you remember Zombizou? What do you think caused Ms Bustier to get Akumatised? Marinette storming out? Me lying about the present? It wasn’t her Akuma, it was Marinettes. Ms Bustier took the hit for her. I… almost caused Marinette. **Marinette Dupain Cheng**. To be Akumatised. And I **did** cause Ms Bustier. If my actions could cause the two kindest, sweetest, most wonderful, amazing people in school to fall to negative emotions, what kind of monster was I?" Chloe went on, gripping the bench tightly as she spoke, her voice straining. "And then… Style Queen happened, and I finally realised. **That** was exactly the kind of monster I was becoming. I… after the events, I spoke with La… Marinette and I spoke. And she told me straight. I needed to stop being that person, or I’d end up… like my mother."

"Chloe, I…" Alya mumbled. She half expected Chloe to interrupt, but this time, there was only silence. "I’m sorry. I’ve been treating you terribly lately. I just… I was scared, that you were… trying to steal Marinette away from me, or… I don’t know, corrupting her or something…" she said, stepping forward. "It happened before… in my previous school. I was friends with a girl, I was…" she began, before shaking her head. "But, that’s not important. I’m sorry, Chloe. I was a horrible person, and I shouldn’t have done what I did, the smack talk or the smack," she said. Chloe looked up at her, tears threatening to roll down her cheeks.

"Thank you. I… I’m going to need a bit of time before I can forgive you… but… I accept your apology. Thank you for making it," she said. Alya nodded her head slowly, and, with a deep breath, dropped down onto the bench beside her.

"This is going to be hard, isn’t it?" she said, letting out a groan.

"Like you have no idea. But… for Marinette?" she said, offering a hand to the girl.

"For Marinette," Alya replied, taking hold of the hand, and giving it a quick shake.

　

"Seriously? Wow, I would never have guessed that in a million years. I might have guessed Max, or maybe Sabrina, but not…" Adrien began as he walked toward the class room, only to be barged out of the way by the fuming, enraged Alix.

"Move or die, pretty boy!" she snarled, storming through the trio towards the lockers. She barked another warning at Sabrina and Rose, who quickly jumped out of the way, looking to the trio to see if they knew any reason why. Juleka shrugged to Rose, who turned to Sabrina, who nodded, and Rose began to jog after Alix, calling out her name.

"Never mind thunderstorm Alix, what was that little interaction?" Nino asked, looking at Sabrina who rolled her eyes.

"Girl things, you’d not understand," she said, pacing into the classroom.

"This was my fault, she seemed really mad this time. I think I may have stepped over the line…" Kim lamented to Max, barely noticing the little group enter the room.

"I do believe that there was more at play here than a simple line overstepping. It is possible that we have been neglecting Alix as a friend recently," Max said, glancing over to the door.

"What happened? We caught the tail end of Alix dashing off, Rose has gone to see if she’s OK," Sabrina said, approaching the tall boy.

"Uh… Alix kinda tore me a new one after I asked her for advice about a present for Ondine," he said, rubbing the back of his head. Sabrina nodded again, and glanced over to Max.

"Was that all?" she asked.

"She yelled about a lot. She may have been keeping things bottled up for a while. This could have been the straw to break the camel’s back, so to speak," he said.

"For now, I think it best for Rose to handle Alix. You," Sabrina said, poking Kim in the chest, "need to figure out how to apologise. Write her a letter, they seem to be working well lately," she said, flicking a smile at Adrien.

"But…"

"No buts! Even if she was being irrational, or unfair, it’d still be nice to offer her an apology. Don’t call her irrational, or overly sensitive, but tell her you weren’t being sensitive, and that you weren’t thinking. Possibly even use a nickname for yourself that she uses that you don’t like, it’d endear you a little more," Sabrina went on, poking him in the chest again.

"Since when did you get so confident and so good at de-escalation, Sabrina?" Nino asked. The girl chuckled, and leaned hopped up onto one of the desks, leaning back slightly.

"I’ve been putting out Chloe’s fires for years. Then Hawkmoth showed up and every fire became an inferno. But now that I’m out from her shadow, I want to see how far I can really go," she said, a wry smile on her face.

"I couldn’t find Alix, but I did find Marinette~," Rose said as she poked her head into the room, Marinette in tow.

"I don’t know what’s going on, but, Alix just went into a pretty charged situation. Chloe and Alya are hashing things out," the girl said.

"Wait. So… Chloe, Alya and Alix, are in a small room together, and they’re all angry?" Kim said, eyes widening.

"We’re doomed," Sabrina said, eyes widening.

　

"So, are you going to tell me what happened before?" Chloe asked, clicking her locker shut. Alya looked across at her with a furrowed brow.

"Do you really want to know?" she asked.

"I do."

"I… it’s nothing, it’s dumb," Alya said, pushing her own locker closed with a click.

"It clearly isn’t if it’s still on your mind," Chloe said, tilting her head towards Alya.

"Let’s just say that when the only girl in class who’ll be friends with the dark skinned girl decides that she’d rather hang out with the pretty blonde instead, it can leave you a little bit sore," she said, sighing. "I told you it was dumb," she said, moving towards the door.

"Alya, that’s…" Chloe began, but before she could say anything more, the door slammed open and Alix stormed in, face like thunder.

" **Move** ," she growled, pushing Alya out of the way.

"Nice to see you too… Wait, shit, you’re not OK are you?" Alya said, watching the girl head straight for her locker.

"No duh," Alix said, voice strained.

"OK. I’ll come up with a cov…" Alya began.

"No need, whole damn class probably knows by now. **Fuck**. I hate this body, I hate being… **this!** It’s not fair!" she snapped, slamming her hand into the lockers, denting one of the doors. Alya moved in a flash, slinking in next to the girl. Before Alix could react, she was pulled in tightly against Alya’s chest, letting out an exasperated scream.

"Alix, before you say any more, Chloe is here too," she said softly.

"I don’t care! Let her know for all I give a crap," the short girl snapped. She pulled back from Alya, eyes dark. "I hate being a girl and I don’t want to be one. But I don’t want to be a guy either. I’m a freak, a weird little gremlin that’s not right in the head. And I’m not going to your stupid gala," she added, before sinking back against Alya.

"We’re all fucked in the head, Kubdel, who the hell do you think you’re talking to. I have so much repression and delusions of grandeur to work through I might never be ‘normal’, but does that stop me? Well, at the moment, yes, because I can’t even come out to my best friend because of how much bitterness we still have to work through, but I’m adjusting. But if you think for one single moment that you are ruining my gala ball, you need someone to check to see if you have a brain at all!" Chloe said, chest puffed and fists balled. Alya stared at her, dumbfounded.

"It ain’t the same…" Alix mumbled.

"True, gender issues aren’t sexuality issues. But the meta concept behind it all still rings true. You can’t be who you want to be, because of ‘society’," Chloe went on, making air quotes at the word. "You want to be different, be different. But don’t spread your shit around spoiling other people’s things, that’s also not fair," she went on. "You know… you don’t have to wear a dress. The invite just says wear something smart," she added, softening with a warm smile. Alix pulled back a little from Alya, expression confused.

"Why are you being so nice? It’s creepy…" The girl said, regarding Chloe.

"Well, someone I like a lot made their affection clearer to me before we got back to school, so maybe I’m just in a good mood. Or maybe, us queer girls have to stick up for one another," she said, glancing to Alya, who smiled despite herself. "Now come on, let’s go to class. I’m sure Ms Bustier would appreciate us turning up for at least **one** lesson today," she said with a smirk.

　

Alix’s return to class didn’t go as smoothly as anticipated, and for most of the afternoon, tension was riding high. However, when Kim handed her a note near the end of school and she read through it, every eye was on her.

"Heh. Gay," was all she said, tossing the note back to him with a light smirk, and the sigh of relief from everyone else around was audible. Kim rolled his eyes and picked up the note, chasing after the diminutive punk girl to continue their ‘argument’, and, as the school bell rang, everything seemed like it had slotted back into place properly. One or two pieces might have been the opposite way up, or in a slightly different position, but it all still went together. After waving goodbye to Marinette, Alya went to her locker to sort her bags, only to find a small envelope stuffed just inside it. Opening it, she found three hundred euros in 20s, and a small note.

For your outfit. Use some to help Alix find something too. Or you could both come shopping with Sabrina, Rose, Juleka and I. I’d still like her to come to the gala.

Regarding your past. What those girls did was beyond condemnable. Forget those stupid, racist bitches, they’re not worth your thoughts.

Thank you for the apology. And sorry for outing you in front of Alix, I didn’t think. But then I thought, hey, maybe Alix knows already, becase you didn't react and then I remembered that ~~she~~ they work for the Ladyblog so I should have made the connection really.

This got longer than I was expecting. Um. Don’t wear anything striped, it wouldn’t suit your figure. You have a good bust so work with it, show off what you have. If they decide not to come shopping, please tell Alix that a red and black plaid skirt and those tall goth boots they have would work well together.

Try and match colours with Marinette if you want to impress her. Don’t tell anyone I’m this nice, I do still have something of a reputation to keep.

See you tomorrow? I guess?

Alya rolled her eyes and folded the note up, tucking the euros away somewhere safe. She walked around the corner, and almost walked straight into Ladybug.

"Aah! L-Ladybug!? What’s… is something going on?" she asked, looking around for signs of an Akuma.

"We need to talk," she said, grabbing Alya by the hand. The masked hero took her into a quieter part of the city, and asked her to transform. Soon, the two heroines were launching themselves through the rooftops of Paris, heading for the most ubiquitous of Parisian land marks. The Tower. The sun was just beyond setting at this point and the Tower would be emptying of tourists for the day, the Tower closing early due to the earlier Akuma. The duo landed amid the girders and climbed, making it to the upper decks of the tower, where Carapace and Chat Noir were waiting.

"Just Queen Bee now," Ladybug said, and the two male heroes shared a glance.

"Oh, she’s here already," Carapace said, glancing upwards.

"She just wanted to make a grand entrance," Chat added, leaning on his baton. Ladybug and Rena glanced upwards, seeing the yellow and black shape flitting about above them. There came a squeal of joy, and the shape jolted towards them at high speed, arms spread wide as Queen Bee hugged Rena at top speed.

"Foxy!!" she exclaimed, allowing her speed to drop to the point that both she and Rena were sent tumbling to the ground, skidding to a halt mere inches from the lip of the tower. The fox heroine giggled, and hugged the girl tightly, knowing that she would not have been in any danger, even if they had fallen.

"This is partly what we need to talk about…" Ladybug said, glaring across at them. "Chat and I were never even an item, but his flirting and the rumors surrounding it caused an Akuma. We can’t let people think something is going on between us. **Any** of us," she said, glaring at all four of the other heroes.

"It’s just a bit of harmless fun, Bugaboo. And really, the Akuma was caused by a relentless reporter and a sleezy station manager, not my feline flirtatiousness," Chat chipped in, still slouched casually. Rena said nothing as Queen Bee stood up, but as she pushed herself upright, she flicked an irritated glance over to Ladybug.

"Ladybug… it’s…" Bee began.

"What we do is our business, not yours. If you have a problem with two girls showing affection to one another, then by all means, say," Rena butted in, still fixing on Ladybug. The black and red clad girl looked confused for a moment.

"Wh… no, I don’t… that’s not what I mean! If you two have feelings, real feelings for one another, that’s different, but like it or not, we’re figureheads for the community. Kid… other kids, look up to us. If you’re doing all that just for a laugh and a tease, then you ought to be ashamed! Making young, vulnerable kids think they have something in common with their idols, only to be knocked back with a ‘psyche! We’re only playing around! Hahaha!’ and that’s… it’s not fair," Ladybug snapped.

"Buggy… I…" Rena mumbled. Awkward silence descended among Team Miraculous.

"So, uh… quick question, is anyone here actually straight?" Carapace asked, after an unbearable amount of time. No-one said anything. "Thought so," he said, smiling to himself. "Bugbro, I’m sure they’re just as confused as other kids out there. They’re allowed to figure these things out, just like everyone else," he said, and Ladybug nodded, shifting a little.

"You’re right. I’m sorry. I got mad, and I shouldn’t have, I just… I don’t like people using ‘hey look lesbians lol, psyche, not really’ as… as anything!" she said.

"It’s called yuribaiting," Bee said, with a little smirk.

"Anime nerd," Rena said, shouldering the girl. Ladybug let out a little laugh, and, soon, all five of them were giggling. Calmness eventually returned, and Ladybug hopped up to the next little platform.

"OK! I did call you here for more reason than just to yell at you for being super gay," she said, eliciting another round of giggles. "Unfortunately, it’s for something a bit more serious. Recently, we nearly had two of us reveal our identities because the rest of us didn’t know how to bring us back quickly. We need to know more about one another, our kwamis, our powers… and… I think it’s time we knew who we all were," she said, hands drifting up to her earrings. "Tikki. Spots…"

　

" **Wait!** "

" **Stop!"**

" **No!** "

" **What the hell man, what the actual hell?** "

All four heroes clamoured at once, halting Ladybug as her mouth formed the word ‘off’. Chat Noir, the most vocal of the four, slammed his baton against the metal girders, stalking towards her.

"Holy crap Bugaboo, you don’t get to just **decide** this for us! This isn’t just a… a… a…" he went on, his voice cracking and his body shaking a little. Carapace stepped towards him, touching a hand to his back to try and calm him down.

"Ladybug, I really don’t think that would be a good idea…" Queen Bee said, hand brushing over her hair, fingers delicately tracing over the comb that sat within it.

"I’m… I just… Aaaaarghhh! You just **do** , don’t you, you never talk, you always do," Chat snapped, un-tensing a little at the hero’s touch.

"C’mon bro…" Carapace mumbled, rubbing his back gently.

"I… I had no idea you all felt this way…" Ladybug said, hands shaking as they fell from her earrings. "I’m sorry, I… I have to go," she said, yoyo appearing in her hand in an instant. Only Rena was able to react quick enough, leaping after the heroine as she fled away.

"Stay here I’ll bring her back!" she called to the other heroes, bracing herself for the impact of the ground. Ladybug might have been stronger than her, and more experienced with her weapon, but not even she could beat a pouncing Fox when it came to a chase. Moments after getting to ground level, Rena was level with the girl, and moments after that, they were a tumbling mess of bodies spiralling over a rooftop, ending with Rena pinning the hero to the ground.

"Get off me! Let me go!" Ladybug snapped.

"Nope! Not until you tell me why you ran off, and why this is such a big deal," the girl said, pinning Ladybug’s arms down.

"Rena… Alya! Let me go, right now!" Ladybug snapped again, struggling to get free.

"You want out, start talking!"

"No! I made a mistake, I should never have called you all out tonight."

"For the love of… will you just… talk already! God, a day ago I would have killed to be in this position…" Rena managed, struggling to keep the heroine down. Ladybug resisted for a few moments, before relenting, causing Rena to stumble forwards a little.

"I… I know who you are. I know who Carapace and Bee are. It’s not fair, keeping you all in the dark when I… I have to hold my tongue, and be so careful. I wanted to ask you about when you ran off after Chloe, but I couldn’t. I wanted to… help Bee with her problems, but I can’t. Chat… he’s been my partner for so long, but I don’t know anything about him, I don’t know what his favourite food is, when his birthday is…" Ladybug said, not bringing herself to look at Rena, who let the girl have her space, whilst still straddling her.

"I understand. I… there’ve been times when I wanted to know who you were so badly, I considered sneaking after you to see. But I knew, deep down, it wasn’t right, and not just because it would betray your trust. It’s dangerous, knowing who we are. And it sucks so much that you have to bear that burden, because Buggy, I would take it from you in a heartbeat if I could. But this is how it’s fallen, and it’s the way it has to be. I’m sorry," Rena said, looking down into the girl’s eyes. The look was returned, and Ladybug sat up slowly, not breaking the eye contact.

"Thank you… Alya…" she mumbled, moving closer to the foxy girl. Her hands traced upwards, first at Rena’s side, then along her back, as she hugged into her tightly. The hug only lasted a few moments, as Ladybug pulled back, still gazing into Rena’s eyes. Both girls stared at one another, wrestling with their emotions in the chilly darkness of the night.

"I…" Rena managed, her heart in her throat. Ladybug took in a gentle breath, gaze softening as she leaned in once again, this time, placing a tender, nervous, almost non-contact kiss upon Rena’s lips, before pulling away, cheeks matching the redness of her costume. Rena held back for as long as she could, which felt to her like almost an hour, but in reality was barely a second, before pressing a kiss back against Ladybug, the force of her eager kiss sending Ladybug onto her back. Hands found hair and legs intertwined as the two heroes kissed deeper, until, shaking, gasping for breath, Rena pulled back, but only for as long as it took Ladybug to push herself upwards, and the two were kissing again in an instant, with Rena now straddling Ladybug’s lap. This kiss was urgent, needy, like it had been building and building over weeks, months even. Ladybug whimpered and pushed, wanting more of Rena pressed against her, her legs rising to tilt the foxy hero forwards even more. Managing to pull herself together for the briefest of moments, Rena pushed back, and broke the kiss, panting weakly for breath. She struggled upright, and took a step back from the still grounded heroine.

"We should, we should uh… the others, they’re still waiting," she said, struggling to hide the blush that was spreading across her face.

"Y-yes, we definitely need to head back to them, um…" Ladybug said, pulling herself upright, nibbling on her lip. "M-maybe we should… not tell them everything that just happened?"

"I… yes. Yes, what happened here is… just for us," Rena replied, taking in a deep breath, trying to fight not only the nervous shake her body had decided to inflict upon her, but the urge to grin like a loon.

　

The girls returned to the tower and Ladybug apologised to Chat. He was still not too happy with her, but he understood why she had done it. The group agreed that they would all go away and think about it, truly, deeply weight everything up, and go ahead with their meeting at midnight on Saturday. They split off, and Alya returned home, barely able to get to her bed before collapsing into a fit of giggles.

"Oh my gosh oh my gosh!! Trixx! Trixx what do I do? That was amazing, she was amazing but you’re right, oh god I don’t like her that way, but, what if I do, what if I’m trying to sabotage myself because I still like Marinette. Oh god, and Bee, I forgot, Trixx, what the hell do I do?" Alya said, in a long, garbled mess that the Kwami could only just keep up with.

"Alya… Al… Al… Little kit, calm down!" he snapped, flicking her on the forehead, surprising her so much her glasses almost fell off. She blinked once or twice, eyes focusing on the orange creature, who looked up at her sternly.

"Trixx, this is big, it’s huge, it’s… oh my god, it’s a love triangle. Or worse, it’s… oh GOD it’s a soap opera!" Alya lamented, whimpering as she rubbed at her forehead. "I love her but she loves him and he loves someone else but that someone else loves my twin from another dimension and she’s secretly the clone of my mother and has the brain of my pet dog."

"I… what?" the little fox said, blinking.

"It’s a joke…" she mumbled, before slumping back onto her bed, grabbing a pillow and screaming into it. "Rrrrrrhhhhhh!!! Girls! So many, so beautiful! My poor gay heart can’t take it, and neither can my dumb gay brain!" she whined. The Kwami rolled his eyes, letting out a sigh.

"I wonder if Tikki is having this much trouble," he muttered.

　

" **I kissed Alya!** " Marinette shrieked, mindful enough to keep her voice down, making her statement come out as a harsh, croaked whisper.

"I am aware, that is the twenty seventh time you have told me," Tikki said, between chomps of the cookie she was demolishing.

"But I… and she… and we… we kissed! And I liked it! Oh god, I liked it so much…" Marinette said, rolling back and forth on her bed. Tikki giggled a little, and floated over to her friend.

"Are you going to ask her out?" she asked, settling down onto the pillow next to her. Marinette went bright red.

"Tikki!!! I can’t do that! She likes Nino! I… I think she likes Nino…" she said, gazing at her wall. "But, Adrien likes Nino… and I want him to be happy too. And… would Alya be happy with me, er, with Ladybug? Oooohhh, Tikki, it’s so hard to figure out! And then there’s Chloe, I still owe her an answer… even if she’s smitten with Rena, which is Alya, who she isn’t getting on with… uugh, it’s so much!" she lamented, planting her face down into her pillow to let out a shrill groan.

"Try not to worry too had about it Marinette. I’m sure everything will work out in the end. Love has a power, and it has a way of making things all OK in the end," Tikki said, patting the girl on the cheek. Marinette mumbled again, and flicked a glance up at Tikki.

"I just want everyone to be happy," she said softly.

"And they should be. And so should you. What is it you want, Marinette, truly, in your heart?" Tikki asked.

"A month ago, that would have been Adrien. Now…" Marinette said, closing her eyes. She took a deep breath, and let her head slump against her pillow again. "Now… I can’t see clearly. Nothing’s clear…" she said.

"Then, you need some more time to think. And to do that well, you need sleep," the Kwami said, leaning in to kiss the girl on the forehead. Marinette smiled, and returned the gesture, nuzzling up against the Kwami’s body.

"Thank you Tikki. You’re a wonderful friend," she mumbled, fatigue crashing over her. Before the Kwami could even get to her little hiding place, Marinette was fast asleep.


	6. Chapter 5: Love

A few days drifted by without any major incident. Marinette found herself becoming increasingly flustered around Alya and Chloe, who had developed a sort of begrudging, mutual sniping of one another, trading smart but not necessarily harsh barbs with one another at suitable opportunities, but it seemed to at least be amicable. Friday came and the school day went, and Marinette wandered into town to speak with Wang Fu, the guardian of the remaining Miraculous trinkets.

"So, that’s what I think. I know, it’s a lot to ask, but I really think it’s unfair to the other Miraculous holders that I know so much and they know so little. What do you think, Master?" Marinette asked, looking down at the wizened old Chinese man. Fu nodded sagely, hand wistfully rubbing at his bare wrist.

"I think you should have spoken to me about it before them," the guardian of the Miraculous said, a little sourly, but there was still a kindness in his eyes. "But you are young and impulsive. You would have to be, to be the correct holder of the Miraculous of Creation. It is a great burden upon your young friends, but you trust them dearly, and they trust you. I believe that allowing the matter to be up for discussion is wise. However, will you be able to handle the results of their deliberation?" he asked, and Marinette’s brow furrowed.

"I don’t know… I-if the choice is unanimous, then… I’ll accept it, of course, but, what if, say, Chat and Carapace don’t want to, but Bee and Rena do. Am I supposed to tell them, without telling the boys?" she said, before taking a sip of her tea.

"That is the question you must find an answer to before it is asked of you. Wayzz, could you please bring more… oh," he said, turning towards the little kitchen, before frowning. "It is… difficult adjusting to that," he said softly.

"Can’t you activate one of the other Miraculous?" Marinette asked, looking to the gramophone on the cabinet nearby.

"Activate a Miraculous because an old man is lonely? I would not like to do something so selfish, though, I do appreciate your sentiment, Marinette. No, I will just have to get used to being on my own a little more often. Perhaps I will purchase a… rare, flying, hairless Achoo cat?" he said, chuckling a little as Marinette began to blush.

"Master! That was before I even knew who you were, and Tikki needed help!" the girl said, pouting a little. The old man’s laugh grew even more.

"Ahaha! Yes, and you were as terrible a liar as you were as kind hearted a person. That, at least, has not changed about you," he said with a smile.

"You think I’ve changed?" Marinette asked.

"Yes. You have become wiser, and stronger. The Miraculous is only a small part of that, it is you, Marinette, your choices and your actions, that have shaped your growth," he said, and the girl could feel the pride in her chest swelling.

"Thank you, Master. I won’t let you down," she said, as her phone began to buzz. "Oh no! I told Kim I’d help him with his geometry homework! Sorry, Master, I have to run!" she said, downing the last of her tea. She scrambled to her feet, and grabbed her things, thanking him for the tea before running out. The door clicked shut behind her, and Fu sighed, turning to the cabinet. He pulled out a draw, revealing several hexagonal boxes within.

"When shall you be informing her of her duty to the rest of the Kwami?" a snooty, somewhat nasal voice asked, as an orange and yellow Kwami poked its head out of the draw.

"Not yet, Kuu. She needs a clear head before she can act, and her mind is clouded," Fu said, with a little sigh. "And those clouds could become a storm at any moment… Balance may have to be restored before her task is revealed," he said, taking one of the boxes, and turning his attention to the gramophone that served as a hiding spot for the Miraculous items.

　

"Are you kidding me? Do I look like a flower?" Alix snapped, arms firmly crossed as she looked at the long yellow top that Rose had shown her.

"I think it would suit you, it goes with your hair!" the girl said in a singsong voice. Alix shook her head.

"No pastels, no bright colours. Uugh, this was a mistake, I should go…" the girl said, moving to get out of her seat. She was pushed back into it by Alya, who was stood behind her, as official Alix Wrangler. She glanced to the collective of assembled fashion talent, and shook her head.

"A mistake it may well be, but the gala is tomorrow and you have spun your wheels for too long! So, we’re taking matters into our own hands. Plus I still need to find something, so you sit, and we find things for you," the fiery haired girl said, hands firmly planted on Alix’s shoulders.

"I have something here that might work. How do you feel about off the shoulder dresses?" Sabrina said, holding up something that would have been considered scandalous on someone more than Alix’s height.

"Gleh, why would anyone want to see my body?" Alix said with disdain, causing Juleka to blush slightly, turning back to the rack of clothing she was looking through, coughing slightly.

"Here. It’s a little shorter than I would have liked, but it will look good on you," Chloe said, tossing a black and red tartan patterned skirt to Alix. "Wear it with those tall boots you wore on the day trip to Montmartre that nearly killed you, and all we need is a decent blouse," she added, as Alix began to inspect the skirt.

"Lady shirt, she means," Alya whispered into Alix’s ear, and the girl nodded.

"Juleka, have you found anything yet?" Rose called out to the girl, who shook her head faintly.

"Alya, I have a blue maxi dress with sleeves that might suit you," Sabrina said, holding the thing up. Alya looked up, expecting something light, and baulked.

"Eww, dark denim blue? It’d wash me out. Like the style, don’t like the colour. Right direction though, but think lighter colours," she said.

"Ohhh, I’m so excited! Everyone’s going to look so beautiful!" Rose squealed, rustling through the rack that Juleka had begun to look through. "Here, you need to be more brutal with the search, watch how I do it," she said as she bumped the girl aside with her hips. Juleka let out a grumble, moving to another railing. She pulled out a few items from it, and walked over to Alya.

"This would work for you. And, um…" she said, fiddling nervously with the hangers as Alix tilted her head up and back to look at her.

"Anything for me Jules?" the short girl asked. The crimson eyed girl nodded feebly, and handed over a few dark tops, scuttling off without another word.

"Hey, this could actually work, I think I even have a pair of heels that would go with this," Alya said.

"Heels? Oh, no, nonono, cannot allow you in heels, you’re already too tall and busty, I don’t want you showing me up," Chloe chimed in suddenly, pointing an accusatory finger at the girl, who huffed with a smirk.

"Please, with this dress I’ll show you up just by showing up," Alya replied with a wink. Chloe pouted, and turned away, arms crossed.

"Sabrina!" she snapped.

"Yes, Chloe?"

"Go g… uh… could you please get my phone from my bag and send a message to Pierre for me. He will need to contact me later to make some adjustments to my outfit," she said, biting her tongue to stop from barking an order at her friend. Sabrina smiled.

"More than happy to help out," she replied, as she went for the bag.

　

"Is this really OK? I mean… doesn’t he have cameras everywhere?" Nino asked, blush spreading across his cheeks as Adrien nuzzled in a little closer. The boys were spending the afternoon together, with the official story of trying on suits for the gala. However, as soon as they had gotten to Adrien’s room, the blonde had been all over his boyfriend, showering him in kisses and cuddles.

"He hasn’t found out I’m Chat Noir, so I doubt he’ll find us smooching up a storm," he said, teasing his hand along Nino’s leg gently. The DJ squirmed under the attention, blush intensifying even more.

"C-careful, your kitty cat side is showing," he said, through shuddered breaths. Adrien smiled, and leaned back a little, teasing the buttons of his shirt open, revealing the lightly tanned skin beneath.

"I’d best be careful. From what I hear, you’re not a fan of pussy," he said, making Nino go wide eyed, and squeak, pulling his hat over his eyes.

"Adrieeeen!!" he whimpered, feeling the boy shift by his side. Moments later, he felt a weight press down upon him, legs sliding either side of his, and he looked up as Adrien pulled the cap up and away, straddling Nino and pressing a firm, needy kiss to his lips. Nino let out a soft moan into the kiss, and his hands grasped at Adrien’s shirt, pulling him in tighter. They both gasped loudly once the kiss broke, both having chosen deepening the kiss over getting more air at least once during the previous few seconds.

"I love it when you’re all shy and bashful," the blonde all but purred, sitting back to allow Nino to adjust his seating position. He felt something against the inside of his thighs, and his grin grew even more. "And I guess you love it when I’m teasing you," he said, wiggling against the growing firmness he felt beneath him.

"Nnh… dude… it’s not the teasing, it’s you. You’re so damn handsome it makes me weak at the knees," Nino replied, hands cupping Adrien’s sides, steadying the model, who leaned forward, playing with the buttons on Nino’s shirt.

"You should wear this to the Gala. Imagine, wearing something in front of the whole class that we’d made out in. Showing off how good we look to everyone," Adrien breathed, making Nino squirm even more. He pulled the last button open, and looked down, marvelling at his boyfriend’s chest.

"Adrien, I need you to try on this… and just what exactly is going on in here?" Gabriel said, pushing the door open as he knocked upon it, a hanger in one hand. Adrien flinched away from Nino, who yelped, sliding down against the sofa as the weight shifted.

"Fa-father! W-what are you talking about, we were just trying on the outfits, like you asked," Adrien stammered hurriedly.

"R-right!" Nino chipped in, hurriedly trying to hide his boner before Gabriel got closer. The bespectacled man glared across at Adrien, who was now holding the unbuttoned shirt against himself.

"You said you had something else for me to try?" the blonde asked, hoping to whatever gods might be paying attention that his own erection wasn’t visible against his trousers.

"Yes… here. It is from the new line. It would be good to do a soft debut at this event, nothing official, just a teaser of… what’s to come," Gabriel said, glancing over as Nino let out a little squeak of embarrassment.

"Yes father. I’ll go try it on now," he said, taking the suit from his father, and spinning on his heels. He got three steps away from him, before the man coughed, and he froze in place.

"Adrien. That is a prototype. Do try and not get it… dirty," he said, pacing out of the room as Nino, who had been taking a sip of his drink, began to cough and splutter. He closed the door with a firm clunk, and the two boys breathed a sigh of relief.

"Is everything OK sir?" Nathalie asked as Gabriel walked away.

"Everything is fine. Could you arrange for some information regarding gender and sexuality to be put among Adrien’s reading. I would hate for him to proceed without adequate facts," he said, adjusting his tie.

"Yes, sir. I…" She began, but stopped. He turned, and arched an eyebrow at her.

"Yes?"

"Thank you, sir. For being so considerate of his situation," she said. He nodded his head slowly.

"It is the least I can do. I hope he remembers my leniency in the matter once I have taken the Miraculous of Destruction from him," the man said, his tone growing darker.

　

"A portrait?"

"Tacky. Chloe and ‘hand-made’ don’t exactly fit well together. And I’m not just saying that as the artist who would have to draw it," Nathaniel said, shaking his head. Ivan sighed, and slumped back in his chair.

"Maybe everyone could chip in some and get her a big bouquet of flowers?" Marc asked, and Nath shook his head again.

"Chloe is allergic to most types of pollen. She nearly died once because she hadn’t told anyone and we went on a trip to the botanical gardens," Mylene said, as she set the tray of drinks onto the table. All four were in a coffee shop, brainstorming ideas for a gift for Chloe as a thank you for organising the event.

"Well… what about something simple? Letters seem in vogue at the moment thanks to Marinette," Nathaniel said, scribbling in his notebook. There was a murmur, but it wasn’t exactly one of agreement. The boy sighed, and leaned back, resting his head against Marc’s shoulders.

"Bath bomb?" Mylene suggested. This was met with a groan. The four sat in silence as they nursed their drinks.

"Chloe’s changing. Maybe we need something that reflects that? Something to show that we get what she’s doing…" Ivan said, after a short while.

"That’s… actually a good idea. Did you have something in mind?" Nathaniel asked, as all eyes turned to the gentle giant.

"Maybe… it’s dumb, forget it," Ivan said, glancing away from the others.

"Come on hun, what’s the idea?" Mylene asked, patting his thigh gently. Ivan grumbled a little, before turning back.

"Well, you remember on her birthday. The Akuma took control of her teddy. I recognised the character, it’s from an old old kids show on TVi from ages back. My uncle works at TVi, he could see if they have anything left from it in the archive, posters or something," he said, sheepishly.

"That’s a great idea! We could all get her something related to it. I could draw the bear if I could get another look at it."

"Maman works at the Grand Paris, I’m sure she could get Chloe’s butler to take a few photos," Ivan said, growing more confident.

"I’ll spread the word, we’ll see if everyone will chip in and we can get her a big bundle of stuff!" Mylene said with a little giggle, flipping her phone open.

 

Rose glanced at her phone as she walked along with Juleka and Alya, and giggled softly.

"Aww, Mylene, Ivan and Nathie are organising a thank you gift for Chloe. That’s so sweet!" she said, matching pace with Juleka, who huffed lightly with a shrug.

"Mmm. I hate to admit it, but… that girl is really trying hard, and she deserves some recognition for it. Not forgiveness, not yet, but… she’s doing a lot, and that’s good," Alya said, as she glanced back at the two girls.

"She’s still mean…" Juleka mumbled.

"Oh, she’s outspoken, but I don’t think she’s intentionally being mean any more. She’s including others in things, like asking us to try on clothes, she’s even being helpful and nice," Rose said. Juleka crossed her arms and shot the girl a glare.

"She didn’t ask **us**. She asked you, I just happened to be there. **You** were the one who said I should come along…" she replied. Rose let out a little giggle, and waved a hand dismissively.

"Oh, you worry too much, she was still happy to have you there! You’re just being paranoid again," the tiny blonde said. Juleka stopped walking, fists bunched tightly.

"Stop… telling me… what I am and am not," Juleka said, through gritted teeth. Rose and Alya stopped, turning back to the girl.

"Juleka… what are you talking about? I never do that. You’re being silly," Rose said.

"Aha! You literally just did it there!" Juleka snapped, glancing over to Alya. "You heard it, right? ‘you’re being silly, you’re being paranoid, you need to do this, you should do that, stop… trying to run my life for me!" Juleka said, hands shaking as anger coursed through her.

"Jules…" Alya mumbled, not sure what to say to the girl.

"Juleka… I had no idea you felt this way. I was just… I wanted to help you," Rose said quietly, eyes at her feet.

"Well… maybe I didn’t want that help. Maybe I want to try things my way. You’re always with me, you tell me what to do, how to sit, what to eat. I’m barely my own person, I’m just ‘and juleka’. Rose and Juleka. People think we’re dating for god’s sake!" the tall goth girl said, anger beginning to subside. Alya opened her mouth to say something, but thought better of it.

"Oh, my Juleka, I’ve only been trying to do what’s best for you," Rose said, her voice waivering.

"Well, stop! Sometimes what’s best for me isn’t what’s best for me! I know that doesn’t make sense, but that’s the point! I don’t want The Best. I just want to choose my own experiences," Juleka said, turning around with a flourish. "I’m going back to that store and returning these stupid clothes. I didn’t want these!" she said, brandishing the bag she was holding. " **Don’t** come with me Rose." The girl walked off with purpose, leaving the dumbstruck Alya and close to tears Rose to stare at her as she did.

"Uh… should I… go after her?" Alya mumbled after a few moments.

"please," Rose croaked, barely above a whisper.

　

"You are Ondine, yes? Is this seat free?" a firm, feminine voice spoke, shaking the swimmer girl from her stupor. The bus was warm, and after going from the warmth of the pool to the chill of the locker room back to the warmth, she had almost fallen asleep. She looked up at the speaker apologetically, picking up her kit bag and dumping it at her feet.

"Sorry, I was miles away. You’re a year below me, the new girl from Japan right? Kami?" she said, as the dark haired girl sat beside her, legs held together tightly.

"Kagami," she replied.

"Soo… uh… are you enjoying it here? College Francois Dupont is a pretty hectic school, but it’s always interesting," the swimmer said, trying to strike up conversation.

"It is… different. The school is filled with many mysterious that I feel, as an outsider, I am not privy to," Kagami replied, her shoulders tense and her back rigid.

"Oh?"

"There are cliques, groups keep to themselves, as with any school, but I feel there are things in the open that do not get spoken of because it is not The Done Thing. Such as how the blonde terror is somehow able to get away with actual crimes without so much as a slap on the wrist."

"Oh, Chloe? She’s the mayor’s daughter, all the adults are afraid of him bringing his wrath down upon them. Andre Bourgeois is a bit of a despot in that regard. But I heard from Kim that she’s getting better," Ondine said, smiling weakly.

"Kim is the tall Vietnamese boy, yes?"

"That’s... yes, not many people realise that. They mostly think he's Korean or they default to 'Asian'."

"I have had the same mistake made of myself before. He is in the same class as Chat Noir and Ladybug, yes?" she asked, her voice lowering as she spoke the last few words. Ondine’s eyes widened with shock.

"What are you talking about?"

"This is another thing that is not spoken of. Adrien Agreste, the model, he is Chat Noir, and the bumbling girl who wears pink jeans all the time is Ladybug. It is a clever disguise, but still rather obvious," Kagami said, sharp eyes turned directly to Ondine, who squirmed a little under them.

"I… I… I…" the swimmer stammered. She quickly glanced around the bus, which was practically empty. "OK, yes, those two are them, and it’s almost certain that the other three heroes are in that class too. Everyone just sorta decided to keep it quiet and kind of… look the other way. Please, don’t tell anyone, and definitely don’t give off the idea that you know it could attract Hawkmoth or make the heroes nervous."

"I see. I perhaps had not given the student body less credit than it deserves. Thank you for informing me," Kagami said, bobbing her head respectfully.

"Oh, my pleasure! I’m surprised no-one has told you before now, to be honest."

"Other than Agreste, no-one has chosen to speak to me outside of school tasks until now."

"What!? That’s terrible! I’ll speak with Kim, I’ll make sure he and his friends involve you in more things. Gosh, how horrible. I am so sorry," Ondine said, face full of sorrow. Kagami nodded again.

"It would be appreciated. I am not too proud to admit that I was feeling rather lonely lately. Perhaps, this meeting was fated," she said with a smile.

"If my fate is to meet and befriend wonderful people I’ll gladly accept the role," Ondine replied, and both girls let out little giggles.

　

"Holy cow, when did you get so fast? Jules, wait up!" Alya called out, jogging to keep up with the tall goth.

"Leave me alone Alya! I’m returning the clothes and there’s nothing you can do to stop me!" Juleka snapped, somehow increasing her pace to the point that Alya had to run to keep pace with her. She eventually caught up to Juleka on the same street as the shop, and grabbed her wrist.

"Jules, will you please just listen to me for a second! Jeez… uugh, need a moment, I need to do more cardio… or get a better bra," Alya said, wincing as she rubbed at her sternum. "OK. I get what you’re going through, you said it yourself, people think you and Rose are dating, heck, even I thought it, and I’m sorry for assuming."

"It’s… uugh, it’s not just that. Everything I do is either because of Rose, or a failure. I hate living constantly in her shadow. She just… she doesn’t get that she eclipses me so often and so comprehensively," Juleka said, leaning against the stonework wall of the shop.

"It sucks. I can’t know a hundred percent what you’re going through, but I know what it’s like having an overbearing older sibling. Nora once got so overprotective she got herself Akumatised. But the way I got around it was living my fullest. Find things you can do with other people who aren’t Rose. Get deeper into your hobbies," Alya replied.

"It’s not as simple as that…"

"It kinda is though. You want people other than Rose to talk to you, you have to reach out first. Some people might not take, heck, a lot of people might not, which is why you keep reaching until someone reaches back," Alya said, tilting her head a little at the girl. "Take Alix,"

"Wh-what about her?" Juleka asked, pale skin becoming a little less so.

"She’s going through the same thing, she only really talks to Kim and Max, and they’ve been focusing on their ladyloves which she resented because she’s not someone’s ladylove. So she reached out to me, and she now spends some of her time helping me with the Ladyblog," Alya said, fighting the little smirk she could feel bubbling up at the sides of her mouth.

"I…I see. Um… D-do you think th-that you might need… someone else?" Juleka asked, the remains of her anger giving way to nervousness.

"Well, Alix actually handles recruitment of other mods, but I could always put in a good word, maybe get you some face time with her? Bet you two would look great going to the Gala together," Alya said, smile breaking out as Juleka’s blush transformed from ‘a light hazing around the cheeks and nose’ to bright crimson covering ninety odd percent of her face.

"T-th-th-that’s…" Juleka stammered, as Alya giggled.

"Girl, I saw how you were looking at her. I saw the clothes you gave her, she’s going to look fierce in those. The least you could do is honour your choice and look as good as she does when you stand next to her," she said, smile widening, but softening at the same time.

"I could never even ask her…" the taller girl mumbled, barely above a whisper.

"Here," Alya said, handing her a scrap of paper. "That’s her screen name. Just tell her you wanted to help with the blog. And just see where the conversation goes. Mention that you think Rose is going with someone and ask if it’d be OK to turn up together, maybe hang out. If she asks why, just tell her you are trying to make more friends."

"I… thank you, Alya. I really appreciate it," she said softly.

"No problem. As for the Rose issue, well… same thing, you just need to talk to her. Chin up though, things seem to be changing around here, hopefully for the better!"

　

"FUCK! Aaaaaarrgghh!!" Alix screamed as she flopped onto her bed, clutching at her stomach. Pain ripped through her as her monthly biology assaulted her senses. Tears threatened to roll down her cheeks as she writhed, kicking and snarling all the while. Her brother could hear the worst of it from the next room over, and he knew better than to get involved. He would knock on her door in an hour or so, offering her a snack or a warm drink, and she would likely refuse, but it made sure that she was aware he cared. However, for now, he would slip his headphones on, and sink into the lecture he was watching.

"Ass! Fucking hell, fuck, god damn to hell and kill me now," she whimpered, as the pain began to subside, enough for her writhings to stop, allowing her a modicum of movement. She struggled to her knees as her weight barely pushed down into the mattress. She saw her computer light up as a pop up appeared on the screen.

"Fucking… whatever that is can wait," she croaked, pushing herself to her feet. Cursing her body once again, she minimised the window and opened an incognito tab. Hormones played havoc with her mind, and right now, she wanted to see dirty things. Not porn necessarily, but a particular set of scenarios which would settle her neediness. She leaned back in her chair as a video began to play, when her arm brushed against a small wooden container. She considered ignoring it, but her curiosity was piqued, and, pausing the video, she briefly turned her attention to it, lifting the lid. Inside the box was a cord necklace, red with a line of black running around the centre, and, hanging from one part, a small ruby set in a black curl of silk.

"Huh… not bad, but… not my style," she said softly. As she spoke, a bright crimson light began to shine from the box, and Alix flinched back, shielding her eyes from it, almost toppling over in her chair. The light began to fade, materialising into a small, deep red and black ridged creature, barely hand sized, with a bulbous head and tiny, spindly arms and legs.

"A pleasure to meet you, Miraculous individual. I am Chii," the creature spoke, as Alix stared, bow legged, sat in her undies and hoodie, toes curling against the wheel supports of her chair. And then, she screamed.


	7. Chapter 6: Loopy

"Ahahaha! Oh my god, that was so amazing! So, you’re telling me I get to turn into a fricking dragon whenever I want to, I get to kick butt with Ladybug and the others, AND, on top of that, my miraculous is technically also capable of stopping Akumas like Ladybug?" Alix said, legs dangling over the edge of the chimney stack they were perched upon.

"You are correct, Alix. Mine is a calming presence, my powers that of balance. You can restore an Akuma’s emotion to normal levels and remove their item. Ladybug will still have to dispose of it, but you will be able to prevent the Akuma from causing more harm in the meantime," the black and red creature floating in front of them said.

"Mannnnn, this is so cool! Oh my god, I am going to mess with Alya something rotten! Well, superhero me is. Um… do I have a name?" Alix asked, glancing from the Miraculous back to the Kwami.

"It is up to you to choose how you will be known. I would advise picking something before a name is chosen for you, many times I have seen regret in the wielders of the Miraculous whose alias had been chosen for them," Chii said. Alix nodded their head a little, brow wrinkled deeply in thought. Alix opened their mouth a few times, but couldn’t quite find their words.

"So what’s the catch? There has to be some reason this Miraculous or whatever is considered less powerful or less useful than some of the others out there," the new Miraculous wielder asked, fixing the kwami with a serious stare.

"The Ruby is a difficult item to use. My powers are not for everyone. An individual must show balance in everything they do, and who they are. Calm and yet rageful. Dumb and yet smart. Female and yet Male. Finding an individual who suits my needs takes time, as people such as you are a rarity," the Kwami replied. Alix’s eyebrow arched.

"So, because I’ve been having these… like… thought things, about not bein’ either, I’m somehow a rare person?"

"In this day and age, not so much, but it is the other sides of you that drew me in. You are angry, but you manage anger in others, with your duties ‘on the line’. You are considered dumb by most of your friends, yet you are more perceptive than most. You rebel and yet you conform. You are a contradiction of yourself, which makes you a perfect candidate to enact balance," Chii said, smiling brightly.

"That’s cool…" Alix breathed, curling up a little as the winds picked up around the rooftops.

"There are a few other drawbacks you should know. Unlike all other miraculous, your transformation is forever on a timer. Once you transform, you have ten minutes until the power runs out. Using your Breath of Balance will reduce the timer to a single minute, so you will need to have a plan in place before you act," the creature went on, eyes gleaming as it bobbed up and down in front of Alix.

"That’s… less convenient. But not a problem! I’ll kick butt and take names in less than ten minutes every time! Simple!" Alix said, grinning widely.

"It would be good to return to your domicile, young Miraculous wielder. You still require sleep, and I am very hungry," Chii said, floating closer to Alix.

"You’re right. I think we have some leftover chicken for now, and I can see about getting you some jerky tomorrow. Chii, Flying Time!" Alix said, tilting their head back as the kwami began to spin, merging with the gemstone on their necklace.

　

"Nathalie! Nathalie, wake up!" Gabriel called out, hammering at the door to the room that served as Nathalie Sancoeur’s office and occasional living quarters, although, they saw her sleep more times a month than her apartment these days. Rubbing her eyes before replacing her glasses from the folding table that was her night stand, she pulled herself upright, and grabbed a silk robe that was hanging on her office chair. She glanced at her phone, and her brow furrowed. It was supposed to be her day off, one of the few she got these days. It was also later than she would have liked, still early, but not early enough.

"Nathalie! This is important, I need to speak with you urgently!" the voice came again, as she pulled the robe around herself, tying it at the waist. Still reeling from the sudden wakening, she opened the door cautiously, only for Gabriel to push past her and into her office, pushing the door shut as forcefully as he dared.

"Gabriel, what are you-" she began.

"It has awakened! The Dragon has a wielder. This is bad, this is very, very bad," he said, pacing around in a rough circle, book in one hand and his other hand balled tightly around something.

"What?" Nathalie asked, rubbing her eyes before replacing her glasses.

"I could feel the energies of the city change. Positive and Negative, great joy and irrevocable pain, angry and elation, everything is smoothing out. Even now, potential Akuma targets are growing calmer, more controlled, and my chance to get hold of Ladybug’s Miraculous keeps slipping away," he said in a low growl, brandishing a page of the book at the woman.

"Sir, despite my many skills, reading ancient Chinese text is beyond me, even when I have not just been woken up," she said in an even tone, and the man sighed.

"The Dragon brings balance. It has the power to nullify Akumas without Ladybug or Chat Noir. Now, more than ever, I must bring to bear every resource at my disposal. I will have the Gorilla obtain the Miraculous of Destruction as soon as Adrien drops his guard, but in the meantime…" he said, brandishing his fist towards her. He uncurled it, and the woman let out a gasp.

"No… sir, I cannot… what would Emilie think?" she said, eyes wide as she looked down at the purple fanned object.

"It is the only way," Gabriel said, glaring down at her.

"Gabriel… you have lost yourself. Take a moment, and think, really think about this. Emilie would not want you to do this. I know you made a promise, but…"

"I made a promise to fix this! I promised to bring her back, no matter the cost!" he snarled, fist clenching over the Peacock Pin again.

"And it would appear that sacrificing me is worth it to you," she said, her voice a little hollow. "Considering what happened the last time this thing was used," she added, glaring back at him with a fury that made him recoil.

"I… Nathalie, you are… I would never consider you a sacrifice. You of all people must understand, there are many factors at play here," he said, genuinely taken aback. He dropped to his knees in front of her. "Nathalie. Please. I’m begging you," he said, his voice growing quiet as he offered the pin again.

"Oh, I understand perfectly well, Gabriel Agreste," she said, snatching the pin from his outstretched hand and turning her back to him, "and I want you to understand that what I am about to do is not for you. That ship sailed the moment you found out your son was Chat Noir and you continued to make Akumas. I am doing this for Emilie, and for Adrien. If he can’t have a father who cares about him, he at least deserves a mother that does… even if that can’t be me," she said, pinning the peacock to the inside of her jacket. She closed her eyes as a bright purple light began to shine in front of her. A small blue creature appeared in front of her, eyes blinking. "Don’t waste this opportunity," she hissed, as the man nodded, speaking his own words of activation in front of her.

"Oh… Oh no… not again…" it mumbled, eyes welling up with tears.

"Duusu, Let Feathers Fan," Nathalie said, her voice breaking.

　

"Kid! Kid, wake up!" Plagg’s voice called out urgently as he shook and smacked at Adrien, who let out a faint groan.

"Nnnn, it’s not even morning Plagg, go get your own stinky cheese…" Adrien mumbled.

"Kid! This is serious, like, not even making jokes about cheese serious, you need to wake up! You need to become Chat, right now!" Plagg said, zipping into the boy’s face. Adrien’s eyes widened. If Plagg didn’t care about cheese, something was deathly wrong.

"I... OK. I trust you, Plagg. Claws O-" he began, when the door to his room burst open, filling with wind.

　

"Marinette! Hey, Marinette!" Alya called out, running to catch up to the baker’s daughter, who was early to school for perhaps the first time in her life. Marinette turned to the girl, and let out a squeak, fumbling with the box she was calling. It teetered and tottered until Alya caught up with her, catching it with ease and righting the girl and the box back upright.

"A-A-Alya! Oh gosh, I didn’t cear you halling, I mean, hear you calling. Wuh-what’s up?" she said, trying desperately to keep her cool.

"Check it out! There’ve been sightings of another Miraculous user! Uugh, they would show up at night too, I was already asleep when the first sighting happened. Look," she said, tilting her phone to the side to play a video. The screen showed a figure wearing what was clearly a mask with a slightly elongated hood, which emulated the mouth of something. It also had a tail, and a pair of wings that reminded her of Chinese dragons.

"But, that’s imposs…" Marinette mumbled, before clamping her hands over her mouth.

"This is so wild! I can’t wait to meet him! I wonder if he’ll give the Ladyblog an interview," Alya said, giggling with glee.

"Him?" Chloe’s voice said from a foot or so behind them. Alya turned to the girl, expression souring a little. "I’ve seen all the videos, Cesaire, the Miraculous user is clearly a girl."

"You need your eyes checked Chloe. Look at those muscled, those legs. That’s a guy. Sporty guy too, if a little short," Alya replied. Marinette looked from one to the other, still trying to wrap her head around the facts.

"What bothers me is, why now? Ladybug and Chat Noir were only recently joined by three new heroes, why would another one suddenly turn up? It’s possible that they’re working with Hawkmoth…" she said quietly.

"What’s up nerds!" Alix called as they rolled up on the little gathering.

"Just discussing the new Miraculous hero. Did you see everything pop up?" Alya said, glancing up from her phone for just a moment.

"Uh, how could I not, I moderate your damn blog for you. Which reminds me, why did I get a message from Juleka asking me about the blog, and then Chloe’s dumb event?" the tiny Parisian asked.

"Hmph!" Chloe huffed, crossing her arms. "Come on Marinette, I shouldn’t have to listen to this sort of defamatory conversation. We have planning to do," she said, taking hold of the dark haired girl’s arm and storming away with a huff. Marinette mumbled something incoherent and waved apologetically at Alya, who frowned.

"Y’know, you should really woman up at ask her out, too," Alix said idly as they watched Alya wave back at Marinette.

"Will you shut up, I regret ever telling you anything about myself," Alya replied, poking her tongue out. "And you should bring Juleka on. I think it’d be good for both of you to get a new friend. Or possibly more," she added with a wink.

"It’s not nice to mess with a person when they’re surfing the red wave," Alix replied with a scowl. Alya sighed softly.

"Still? It’s been a week hasn’t it?"

"Six days. Sucks balls."

"Oh damn, I’m sorry. But I wasn’t messing with you, honest, I think Juleka likes you. She definitely wants to get to know you better, and really, I can’t think of any more of a perfect match for you than her. The goth/punk juxtaposition would be aesthetically stunning," Alya said, grin widening.

"Well… alright, I’ll think about it…" Alix said softly. " **But** only if you ask Marinette to dance tonight!"

"God damn it, I was hoping you’d dropped that. Fine, I’ll ask Mari to dance. But you better be there **with** Juleka, you gremlin," Alya remarked, pouting.

　

"I’m telling you ladybro, it’s not that big a deal. Sometimes people don’t reply to messages immediately. Just ask her if she saw the message," Nino said as Juleka paced around in front of him. He had been asked to get to school early by Adrien, but the model had shown no signs of life since the text the previous night. No new messages, no calls, not even a message on any of his official or unofficial social media outlets. The DJ was worried, and didn’t need even more concern to be put upon him.

"Mnnhh… but had a read notification. It was a small message, why didn’t she respond, who doesn’t even respond to ‘hi’ unless you hate the person saying hi," Juleka said, her arms so much more vocal than she was in her drab monotones. Nino sighed, and leaned back a little on the desk.

"Someone busy? Someone leaving themselves online and going to bed? Someone kidnapped?" he said, drumming his fingers gently. He was projecting, and he knew he shouldn’t be taking it out on Juleka, but he wasn’t entirely in the mood.

"Just… uugh, I hate this, I hate being so… **me**. I really am just a footnote of a person…" Juleka said, dropping down onto Ms Bustier’s desk. Nino sighed, and pinched at the bridge of his nose beneath his glasses.

"You’re way too hard on yourself. Alix ain’t the kinda person to hold a silent grudge, if she was annoyed with you you’d know it. She was probably just surprised you were being so forward, you usually don’t talk to anyone unless spoken to first."

"I don’t like to interrupt people…" Juleka mumbled in response.

"Part of my point, Jules. I know your family, we’ve been buds for a while, and you’ve never really stepped forward yourself. You’re the baby of the family, and you’re under the shadows of so many people. Rose, Luka, Anarka, even your dad. You’re a great person, but you’ve never had to be just you, so you’re scared. And it is scary, but you gotta do it," Nino said, shifting in his seat.

"You’re right… I’ll ask Alix when I see her. Thanks, Nino," she said, taking in a deep breath.

"No problem," he said, idly.

"So, want to tell me what’s going on with you? I’m not so self-absorbed that I didn’t notice you worried and glancing all over the place," she asked.

"Ehh, just… Adrien asked me here early and didn’t show. I’m worried."

"You think it could be… you know what related?"

"Possibly… I might actually go and have a look along his travel route as the big C, could you tell him where I’ve gone if he turns up?" Nino asked. Juleka nodded with a smile, and Nino grabbed his bag, jogging out of the room.

"Where are you going?" she asked.

"Uh… to change?"

"But there’s only me here, and I already know the secret."

"That’s… OK, that didn’t occur to me, but it still feels weird doing it in front of someone… Alright. Wayzz, Shell on!"

　

"Chii. Psst, hey, Chii. I think I felt something," Alix whispered to the little black and red Kwami in her bag. The creature shuddered a little, looking up at its master.

"I believe it is the Peacock Miraculous being used nearby. That one was always a bit volatile. It would be foolish to…" Chii began, but Alix’s expression was enough to cut off the conversation completely. The dragon let out a faint sigh. "Please be careful, I would hate to fall into the wrong hands," it said, as Alix nodded.

"Ten minutes right? Sounds like a plan!"

　

"Chloe, I’m running to go, I, I mean, I’m going to run. Off. I have some things that need thinging," Marinette mumbled, trying to pull away from Chloe.

"Is this a… You Know Who thing?" Chloe asked, after glancing around to make sure no-one was watching them.

"Yes. I didn’t give out a Miraculous last night, and I don’t think Master Fu would let Chat give one out, especially after our conversation about identities. I need to find out what’s going on. I’m worried that this new Miraculous User might be a villain," Marinette whispered in reply, and Chloe nodded, letting the girl go, but not before giving her a firm hug, and taking the box from her. It took almost fifteen minutes for Chloe to walk from the school to the ball room of the hotel, but she enjoyed the walk, doing things for herself was a small victory to some, but she revelled in it. She took a moment to compose herself at the doors, before storming into the preparation hall, where Sabrina and Rose were working on a big flower display, and Kim, Ivan and Nathaniel were stood nearby, watching and idly chatting. Those without lessons that day had volunteered to spend the morning working on the hall. She placed the box carefully on a table next to several other boxes, and looked up at the display.

"No, no, no! This is absolutely wrong!" she chided, turning to face the three boys, a hand on her hip. "Do you really think it’s proper to sit idly by while two people do all the work? On your feet, you can all help with the display!" she said, wagging a finger at the boys.

"Chloe, do you think it looks good?" Sabrina asked, and the girl turned back, glancing it up and down.

"I think it looks magnificent. You have a real talent for colour matching, Sabrina," Chloe answered with a smile. "I’m honoured to have you work on the centre piece for the Gala," she added, before turning back to the boys.

"What now?" Nathaniel asked with a sigh.

"Thank you all for volunteering your time to help. I know everything is tight today, and you all have other priorities, so I appreciate you pitching in to help," she said, a warm smile upon her face. The boys glanced from one to another, uneasily.

"Uh… you’re welcome?" Ivan rumbled, scratching at the back of his head.

"Right! There are banners to cut, labels to write and party favours to pack! Nathaniel, could I ask you to use your artistic skills to make the labels gorgeous?" Chloe asked, and the boy nodded, shifting uneasily.

"I guess so," he mumbled. Chloe gave him a bright smile, and turned away, heading to her own task. He turned back to Kim and Ivan, shuddering faintly. "I still can’t quite get over Nice Chloe. It feels like it’s somehow subverting nature itself…"

"I know what you mean. Chloe doesn’t quite seem like Chloe if she’s not yelling at someone," Ivan said, grabbing the box full of small, delicate bags, and the box full of cookies that Chloe had set down. "So, I just put some of these into each bag, right?" he asked, looking over at Kim, who shrugged.

"Dunno, but I bet I can get more of those done in a minute than you can," the athlete said, jogging over to the gentle giant, shoving him teasingly with a shoulder.

"If you want your betting fix, get it from Alix," Ivan replied, and Kim gave a wry smirk.

"I’m not that suicidal, you’ve seen how she is latel-" he began, as the door to the guy burst open. The boys turned as Chat Noir skidded across the sports hall floor, a strange blue aura around him. There were several long, thin, almost pen-like feathers protruding from his back, arms and legs, and he looked like he was in some considerable pain.

"Run! Flee! GET OUT OF HERE!" the hero practically snarled, glaring back at the teens before snapping back to face what had propelled him through the door. Everyone turned to see a woman with a long, elegant purple and blue dress stepping forwards, heels impossibly thin, eyes shielded by a beak-like mask. In each hand she held a large fan, which resembled a peacock’s feathers.

"DIE!" Chat screamed, fanged teeth bared as he lunged forwards with both claws raised, and they were claws now, not stylised gloves or darkness from his magical ability. He had begun to grow more feral.

　

"Master Fu!" Marinette called as she knocked on the door to his shop. Her trip had only taken her ten minutes from departing from Chloe, and she was eager to speak with the wizened Chinese man, so her knocking might have been a bit more enthusiastic than most.

"Goodness, Marinette! I might have thought you were a robbing with all the noise you were making," Wang Fu said, chuckling to himself as the girl’s face twisted into a sour expression.

"I… that’s not true, I was not being loud!" she said with a pout. The male let out another mirthful noise, and gestured for her to come in. "Master, I have something urgent to tell you."

"I do not doubt that, but first, would you like some tea? My cousin Mako has sent me some quite delectable White Lotus herbals," he asked, gesturing to the tea pot that was already set up on the little table.

"Master! This is really important, there’s no time for tea!"

"There is always time for tea, Marinette. But please, go ahead." Marinette took a deep breath.

"There’s a new Miraculous holder and I didn’t give a Miraculous out and there wasn’t a reason for it to be given so it might be the Miraculous that Hawkmoth has going to someone he is allied with which means we’ll now have two villains to deal with and I don’t know if we’re ready for that yet if we can’t even pull together around a single idea like revealing who we are!" she said, before panting lightly, gasping for breath. Fu regarded her for a few moments, before faint laughter came from the nearby dresser.

"Fu, you certainly know how to pick them. This one certainly knows how to crow!" a stuffy voice said, as the lid opened and a flash of orange and red appeared.

"Aaaah!" Marinette squeaked, leaping a full step backwards as the Kwami flew towards her. It tilted its head this way and that, as though inspecting her more closely.

"Hmm… a good set of eyes on her, a well-rounded mind, but about as sharp as something round. She’s the Destined of Creation alright," the Kwami said, floating back to Fu, who was pouring his tea.

"Did you doubt my judgement?" he asked the Kwami, who shook his head.

"Humans can never be right a hundred percent of the time. I was merely verifying your choice," it replied with a huff.

"Uh…" Marinette managed, shaking hand raising slowly.

"Marinette, with Wayzz permanently assigned to the new Protector, as Guardian I had to choose a new companion. I have chosen Kuu, the Rooster Kwami. His is the power of Observation," Fu said softly.

"I… see," Marinette said softly.

"The holder you have been informed about has been chosen by me. They hold the Dragon of Balance, and they of all the other Miraculous save your own have the power to safely deal with Akuma, to a certain extent. Purification can still only be done by you, but they have the power to stop them temporarily. I recommend working alongside the new user, in order to…" he began, before stopping. Kuu and Tikki both shot up into the air, facing the same way.

"It’s her," Tikki whispered.

"She is awake again," Kuu said.

"What? What’s happening? What’s going on?" Marinette asked as she and Fu approached their Kwamis.

"Duusu is awake. The peacock is active," Tikki said, a look of fear that Marinette had never seen before spreading across the Kwami’s face.

"Oh my goodness. This is what I must have felt upon the horizon. Marinette, quickly, you must come with me," he said, bringing her into the other room where the Gramphone was sat. "You must give the Bee holder her Miraculous, permanently. There is a task you will all need to complete, but there is no time. Tomorrow, you must all come here, as heroes. Go, the Peacock will doubtless be working with Hawkmoth to wreak untold havoc upon the city," he said, placing the comb in Marinette’s hand. She nodded, and after giving Tikki the command to transform, she left, leaping up into the rooftops with the aid of her yoyo.


	8. Chapter 7: Location

Chat snarled and lashed at the figure as it continued to walk towards the gathered students. Chloe felt a twinge run through her, she wanted to rush forward, to help, but her comb was still only given to her if she was needed for a fight, it was still not hers to keep.

"You are strong, Alley Cat, but you cannot fight me forever," the woman behind the mask said, glaring out at him. "Give in to your emotions, let them take control. Become the beast you sorely wish to be," she added, plucking another feather from the fan. She twirled it in her hand and then glanced over at Ivan, and threw the thing at him at high speed. Chat leapt, but he was a moment too late. The needle-like pinion sunk into Ivan’s shoulder, and vanished.

"Ivan! Are you OK?" Mylene asked, fussing over him.

"Mylene, be careful! Who knows what these things might do!" Kim said, stepping between her and Ivan. The giant of a teen growled a little, glaring at the athlete.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean? You think I’d hurt her?" he snapped, fists balling. Kim arched an eyebrow, and tilted his head.

"Uh… no? But you got hit by whatever that akuma does, so I wanted to be sure. I know you’d feel bad if you put her in danger after you got changed or whatever."

"You don’t know anything about me! Step away, right now Kim!" Ivan snapped, swinging his big, hefty fist at the boy, who dodged back.

" **What the hell are you fighting about just run already!** " Chat yelled, leaping to stop another of the needles from hitting Nathaniel this time.

"Come on! There’s another exit by the-" Chloe began, but as she turned to the doors, half a dozen pinion feathers stabbed into the wall beside her.

"None of you are getting away that easily! Muahahaha!" the villain cackled, advancing on Chat again. She plucked three more feathers, and hurled them at him.

***clang clang clang***

The darts ricocheted off the large green shape that hurtled towards the ground, scattering them to the floor as the shield bounced back up where it had come from, defying all laws of gravity and mathematic s to do so.

"I got your back, Chat!" Carapace called, leaping down from the rafters to the wounded hero’s side. "Who the heck even is she? She looks more like a Miraculous user than an Akuma… whoa! Are you OK bro?" he asked, looking at the struggling male.

"Nnfhh… I can’t… hold back… I want to kill her… like rip her throat out!" Chat snarled, slashing at the ground with his claws. The green clad male patted his partner on the shoulder gently, a look of concern on his face.

"Where on earth is Ladybug?" Chloe whispered to herself, frantically texting as she ducked behind a table.

　

"For the love of… this is ridiculous! All of you, please, calm down!" Ladybug yelled as she sat on top of a street light. Around the base, a crowd of angry people were barking their demands.

"Why haven’t you stopped all crime yet?"

"My dog’s been missing for three days and you’ve done nothing!"

"Global warming is killing the planet and you’re just sitting there!"

"One hundred people hold ninety nine percent of the world’s wealth, what are you doing to do about it?"

"MY LEGS HURT!"

"Everyone, please, you are all being affected by an Akuma! I think… You need to remain calm!" she called out again, but this only seemed to rile the crowd up, several of them objecting to being told to calm down. She glanced at her yoyo to see it flashing, and she flipped the thing open to read the string of texts.

"Chloe!" she gasped in a harsh whisper, snapping the toy shut again. "I’m coming!" she said firmly, swinging up and away as the crowd began to shake and climb the lamp post.

　

"Ahaha! More discourse! More anger! More bitterness! My feathers will bring out the worst in all they touch!" the villain exclaimed as she marched towards the barely contained Chat and the struggling Carapace. He had dozens of pins stuck into his shield now, and even one or two in his feet and shoulders.

"Uuuugh, this is so laaaaame," Carapace lamented, barely able to keep himself on his feet, wanting nothing more than to slump down, even lay down, as everything now seemed like too much effort.

"Have no fear! Fox and Bee are here!" a triumphant voice exclaimed as the doors behind them burst open, revealing Rena Rouge and Queen Bee. The former launched herself forwards while the latter stayed behind, to help those stricken to safety. Chloe regarded the form with an arched eyebrow.

"Uugh, do I really look like that? That hair, so ridiculous," she huffed to herself, her attention turning from her clone to the fight. Rena was going all out, but she knew that of all of Team Miraculous, she wore her heart on her sleeve the most. Having her emotions heightened or whatever it was that this unnamed Akuma did was probably going to affect Rena the most.

"Bet you five euro she gets hit before Ladybug even makes it," a voice, familiar yet different, said behind Chloe. She span, and her eyes widened in surprise. The figure was short, possibly even shorter than Rose, and it was clad in dark scaled armour, black with hints of red to accentuate certain areas. Their mask was more of a helmet than a mask, and obscured everything of their face save their eyes, instead opting for a stylised dragons mouth, full of fangs.

"Who are you?" Chloe asked, not even bothering with her now fake indignation.

"Well, my friends call me Pulao, soooo, you can call me Amazing," the Miraculous holder said, and Chloe could tell that whoever it was was grinning from ear to ear.

"Hmph. I’d sooner call you Annoying if you’re going to be like this. Are you going to help them, or are you just here to fluff and bluster like some brooding hen?" she snipped back, folding her arms over her chest.

"Arright, but you just missed the exclusive chance to be member number one official in my fan club. Shame, I thought you were into stuff like that, Chloe," the figure said, stretching its arm as they walked towards the battle. Chloe let out a little sigh, brushing back her hair.

"Going to need to be a lot more subtle than that about the whole hero biz, Kubdel," she mumbled to herself, before turning her attention back to the illusionary Queen Bee, and sighing. "God, I’m getting so fat…"

　

"Whoa! Dragon girl!" Rena exclaimed as she was joined by Pulao.

"Dragon person!" the figure corrected her, lashing out with a kick that sent the peacock themed woman reeling. The teen heroes watched as a dark shape appeared around her eyes, and the woman snarled a response to a question unheard.

"My apologies. Do I take it that this means we’re on the same side?" Rena asked, keeping close attention on both.

"In so far as I want to kick her butt and get back to worrying about my own shit instead of the shit she’s handing out," the dragon hero replied, cracking their knuckles.

"Hmph! This is far from over, bearers of the Miraculous! You will all feel the wrath of Hawkmoth and Pinaon in the end!" the villain exclaimed, leaping up and away as Rena tried to lunch forward to stop her. She chased after the fleeing villain for a few moments, but it was clear who had the advantage, Pinaon was able to perform leaps that only those with wings were capable of, and while she was agile, foxes were was still bound by gravity in the end. Pulao seemed to follow for a little way, but returned to the hall once it was clear they would not be able to keep up.

"Miraculous Ladybug!" the red and black clad hero called, as Rena began to head back, and she could feel it within her, the familiar tickling, bubbling feeling of the magic of creation restoring everything to normal. Rena landed and made her way back to the hall, wanting to make sure everything was fine before she made her escape to detransform.

"This isn’t good bro. He’s real bad," she heard Carapace say, as she pushed through the doors.

"I… I did everything like normal. I don’t understand, it should have fixed him!" Ladybug said, as she, Carapace and Pulao stood over Chat, who was still doubled over in pain. The feathers had gone, but he still looked feral.

"I think I can help. I know, new hero, slow to trust, but you gotta believe me, I think this was why I got this gig in the first place. Clear a space, I… god I hope to hell this works," Pulao said, taking a soft breath.

"Dragon’s Breath!" they exclaimed, letting a cloud of smoky purple flames erupt from their helmet mask, which quickly enveloped Chat. The moans from the stricken hero seemed to cease, and, as the flames began to fade, he stood, looking a lot closer to his old self. There were still a few signs that the change had happened, but he looked a lot more stable.

"Ohhh… ouch. Thanks, um… dragon?"

"Pulao. It’s my pleasure. Y’all’ve saved us all dozens of times, least I could do to return the favour. Ain’t perfect though, beating the snot out of that feather bitch and breaking her Akumatised item in two will be the only way to bring you back completely," the new hero said, bobbing in a short bow/curtsey hybrid.

"We owe you a lot, Pulao. It seems whoever or whatever that Akuma was, they know enough about your powers that they were scared of you. Do you have some time, I would like to ask you some questions," Ladybug asked.

"Uh… not exactly. I have maybe thirty seconds before I change back, so I gotta beat it. Maybe later, buggy!" the dragon hero said, making a quick dash for the exit.

　

"Crazy day… and it’s not even lunchtime yet," Alya remarked to Trixx as she detransformed. She had made a quick exit as she too only had a minute or so left, and had hidden herself in one of the hotel’s linen closets to change.

"Indeed… though for Chii to awaken is a grave sign of things to come… be prepared, little kit, things are abo-" he began, before ducking down out of sight. Alya had pushed the door open, but pulled it gently to as she heard voices approaching.

"-nk god that Pulao turned up. I was so worried when you sent your messages," a female voice, one that seemed familiar to her, spoke.

"Well, it is a shame we had to be saved by someone so tacky looking, but I am grateful that they chose to help. Are you… do you think they are on your side, or was it just happenstance that they helped us this time?" another voice, unmistakably Chloe’s, pipped back.

"According to Master, he gave them the Miraculous, so I think it’s safe to assume they’re on our side," the voice, which Alya now recognised as Ladybug, responded.

"Phew. That is a relief," Chloe said, as a shrill beeping began to ring out loudly. The two girls outside giggled a little, and Ladybug nodded.

"Tikki, spots off," the voice said, and Alya could see a bright pink light shine outside, her eyes wide. Chloe knew who Ladybug was! Alya leaned closer to the keyhole, and was able to just about see Chloe stood with her hand on her hip.

"You want to talk about relief; I’m so relieved you’re ok! Imagine if you’d gotten hit by one of those things, all the hard work you’ve been putting in would have been undone in hours. No-one would’ve trusted you… it just… it makes me mad, thinking about how…" the person began, a faint sob present in her words. Alya’s brow wrinkled as she tried desperately to remember the voice.

"Wh- Hey! Come on, nothing happened, it’s all OK. Please, don’t cry, you’ll make me start to break down and when I start sobbing I really lose it so if you could please maybe just hug me and maybe we won’t see a full on melt down!" Chloe responded, becoming more and more flustered and blubbery with every word. The hitherto unseen figure stepped forward and wrapped her arms tightly around Chloe’s shoulders, pulling her in for a tight hug. Alya couldn’t help but let out a gasp, despite her efforts to hold it in. Everything hit her all at once. Ladybug was Marinette. Marinette was hugging Chloe. Chloe knew a secret Marinette hadn’t told her. Marinette just kissed Chloe on the cheek. RENA AND MARINETTE KISSED. She kissed Marinette, who was hugging Chloe, who was in on a secret. THE secret.

"Did you hear something?" Chloe said softly, glancing around nervously.

"I didn’t… but we should really go somewhere else. Um… can you meet me in like an hour? I need to tell you something important," Marinette said, pulling back slowly from the hug, like she didn’t want to break it but knew that she had to. Alya bit her tongue to stop herself from making more noise.

"Of course, anything for you. Marinette. I… before you go, I just want to say thank you again, you truly have saved me from myself," Chloe said with a soft smile.

"Oh Chloe, you bring this up every time. Seriously, it’s fine, I’m just glad to have this you instead of the Chloe we had before," she said, giving Chloe’s hand a tight squeeze. The girls parted ways, leaving Alya in the linen closet, staring at the keyhole. Her eyes stung, her head throbbed, her fists hurt with how tightly they were balled, and she was pretty certain she could taste blood in her mouth with how hard she had bitten down on her tongue and lips.

"Alya…" Trixx began, but she shot him a look so terrifying that even he was shaken to his core. The girl sat there, unable to move, unable to speak, trapped with her own thoughts, until the door was pulled open some fifteen minutes later by a custodian, who let out a shriek.

"sorry," Alya croaked, "hide and seek game gone wrong," she mumbled as she pulled herself to her feet, scrambling off before the cleaner could say anything else.

　

"Hey… are you OK?" a gruff voice croaked as a mass of purple hair leant around a door. Adrien and Nino glanced up, and saw Juleka waving meekly from the door of the nurse’s room.

"Hey Juleka…" Adrien responded, waving weakly. He was sat leaning forwards in bed, with Nino at his side, his head bandaged and an ice pack resting on his shoulders.

"He’s been better, but I think he’s gunna be fine. Just sore after the attack," Nino said, checking to make sure that Adrien was comfortable. The blonde nodded faintly.

"Still having mood swings. Lots of anger still, she really did a number on me. Kinda wish Ladybug’s cure all had cured me, she’s a bit useless to be honest," he said, before receiving a soft flick to the forehead from Nino, after which he let out a soft yelp.

"Ladybro did her best. We weren’t to know that feathered fiend was an akumatised Miraculous holder," Nino said, and Adrien nodded his head weakly.

"What about you, Nino? You took hits too," Juleka asked.

"Yeah, I… wait, how do you know that?" Nino asked.

"I followed after you. I figured it’d be good to get some information. Trying to impress Alix enough that she might actually talk to me…" she said, glancing away.

"Jules… that was really dangerous. You should be more careful… but dang, look at you taking the initiative. Keep thinking like that!" he replied, thrusting his thumb upwards with a triumphant smile. Adrien let out a little huff, and shifted a little.

"Hey, Juleka… could I ask a favour? Pretty big one, actually…" Adrien said, not meeting Nino in the eye. Juleka crossed over to them, and sat next to the bed.

"Really bro? You’re gunna drag her into this?" Nino snipped, frowning.

"Let it go! I already told you why I can’t go to yours!" Adrien snapped angrily, grabbing at Nino’s sleeve, before stopping, eyes wide. He flinched back away from Nino, tears forming in his eyes.

"So… you’re really not all that cured at all?" Juleka asked softly. Adrien shook his head, rubbing feebly at his eyes.

"I can barely keep myself from snapping. I… the Akuma was Nathalie. She came for me in the middle of the night. I don’t even know if Father is OK, I… I can’t go back home like this. If… if I stay at Nino’s, I just know I’ll say something, or do something, and it’ll ruin our relationship," the model said, sobbing gently.

"And you know I’m a sandbag that’ll take anything, Mom’s a tank who can throw back anything you give and more, and Luka is so chill it’s a wonder our houseboat isn’t stuck in an iceberg," Juleka said, looking at the dishevelled boy, who nodded softly.

"So long as he doesn’t get too up close and personal with your brother…" Nino said with a pout. Juleka let out a chuckle, and leaned back in her chair.

"Luka’s already dating like five people. I hear he’s even in pretty with Jagged Stone. AND his cute assistant," the girl said, running a hand through her hair. "Mom’ll say yes regardless, as far as she’s concerned everyone in class is her kids, even Chloe," she added with a smile.

"Juleka, you are seriously the best, thank you so much. I promise, I’ll try and hold it back," Adrien said, bobbing into a bow of thanks.

　

Marinette stared at her phone, brow furrowed. The attack had been an hour ago, and there was no word from Alya at all. Alix had been the last person to see her, and the pint sized punk had seemed to think her fine, but noted that her phone hadn’t checked in at any of Alya’s normal haunts. She and Chloe had met up and were currently in Chloe’s room, with Marinette sat on Chloe’s bed, fluffy slippers tucked under her as she sat, pillow clasped to her chest tightly.

"You’re really worried about her, aren’t you?" Chloe asked, and Marinette nodded. She let out a frustrated grumble, and flopped back onto the bed.

"Nnnhhh, this sucks. I wanted this to be more of a thing too, but it’s just… I have to, because it’s stupid not to, but it’s not fair on you, even though you were able to keep it that one time but even that was under supervision and we were going to patrol but then stuff happened," Marinette said, half to herself as she curled onto her side slightly. Chloe gulped, and began to lean on the foot of the bed, looking up at the dark haired girl.

"Marinette Dupain-Cheng, you are twittering again. What are you talking about?" she said, letting first one then another knee rest on her bed.

"I… wanted to give you this," Marinette said, reaching into her pocket to pull out the Bee Comb. "I wanted this to be more special an event. I actually wanted to give it to you that night Architechtonic attacked, but then when Rena went missing, I wasn’t able to find you again, and then I thought about giving it to you after the Gala, but then everything went to heck, and I forgot. It was only when I spoke to Master that he told me you should have it full time," she said, holding up the comb for Chloe to see better.

"Marinette…" Chloe mumbled, hands clasping to her mouth.

"Chloe Bourgeois, you have taken leaps and bounds in reforming yourself. You have earned my respect, my friendship and… my…" she began, struggling to find the words. Chloe’s heart leaped into the back of her throat as Marinette took a deep breath. "My sincerest thanks. I would not have been able to keep doing what I do without you. I want to ask, will you take on the Bee Comb full time?" she asked, presenting it to Chloe. The blonde looked at it for a few moments, tears already rolling down her eyes.

"Yes… yes I swear, I’ll protect it with my life, I’ll not let you down!" she squeaked, tackling Marinette to the mattress and hugging her tightly. "I promise, I promise! You’ll not regret this Marinette, thank you, thank you so much!"

"You’ve earned it so many times over. You’re a good person, Chloe," Marinette said, nuzzling into the hugs as Chloe continued to fawn over her. The girls made eye contact, and Marinette felt something within her twinge. "You’re… you… are… very… nice…" she stammered, lost in the blueness of Chloe’s eyes.

"Marinette…" Chloe whispered, moving ever so slightly closer.

"mmh?" Marinette mumbled back, touching her forehead to Chloe’s.

"I’m in love with you," Chloe whispered gently, closing her eyes tightly, more out of fear than out of any other emotion. Marinette closed her own eyes, and leaned in a little more, touching her lips to Chloe’s own, for a brief moment.

"I… I’m… I’m…" Marinette stammered, her whole body shaking as she tried to find her feelings, to make them crystal clear.

"It’s OK. You don’t have to feel it back. I just needed to remind myself," Chloe said, trying to assure Marinette, who shook her head.

"Chloe… I feel deeply for you, I do, you’re… I want you close to me, I want to hug you, hold you tightly, and… and everything! But… but there’s someone else I feel the same way about, someone you… oh god, I can’t even say it, it’s not fair to them, it’s not fair to you," Marinette went on, hand clasping against her chest.

"I… think I understand. I know I have… feelings for someone else too, I mean… it’s kind of obvious…" Chloe said softly, eyes still closed. "Even if that’s about as doomed as this is…"

"Don’t say that! Chloe, nothing is doomed! I just need to… I have to get things right in my head before I set anything in stone. I just… I want everyone to be happy," Marinette lamented.

"Sometimes, for two people to be happy, one person has to get hurt Marinette. That’s just how it is, and… it sucks, but it’s the truth," Chloe said, pulling back from Marinette. "And I will be damned if the person unhappy is you. You deserve it. So… you should be with this other person. You should be happy," Chloe said. Marinette moved towards Chloe again, pulling her tightly against herself.

"I’m happy with you," the dark haired girl said, pressing a kiss to the woman’s exposed collarbone. Chloe let out a faint whimper, and shivered at the touch.

"Please don’t make me make the selfish choice," she whispered to Marinette, tears threatening to roll again.

"Shhhhh, it’s OK. It’s OK to want to be happy," Marinette cooed, ignoring the noise of the phone going off in the background. Chloe, unfortunately, could not. She leaned away from Marinette’s hug, and picked the thing up.

"It’s Rena…" she said, and Marinette’s eyes began to widen. Chloe tapped the screen to answer, holding it to her ear as Marinette began to shake again. "Hello?"

　

"Oh, hey, Marinette was looking for you. Whoa, what the hell is up with your eyes, did you get punched in the face by an army on your way here WHOA! Hey! Put me down! Alya! God damn it, you promised you wouldn’t do this again what the hell is up with your strength!" Alix said, as Alya advanced on them, plucked the diminutive teen up beneath the arms and carried them to a secluded spot. She dropped them once they were out of sight, blocking the exit with an arm.

"TALK," Alya growled, glaring down at her friend.

"Hey! I told you never to do that, jackass! What’s the big fucking idea!" Alix snapped back, only to flinch as Alya’s hand slapped against the brickwork behind her ear so hard she could have sworn she felt bits of shrapnel fall against her.

"Pulao!" she snarled. Alix gulped, and glanced aside.

"Uh… I don’t know what you’re," the skater began.

"Bullshit, Alix, you can’t pull that on me, I’m the god damn Queen of Illusions. Why you, why now, and what the fuck is going on?" Alya snapped.

"ALYA! You’re not supposed to… oops," Trixx began from her bag, only to clamp his pawpads over his mouth.

"Honestly, did you truly just do that you foolish fox?" a voice came from within Alix’s hood. The dragon Kwami emerged with a tut, and Alya regarded it with an arched eyebrow.

"Ohhh, THAT Pulao. Yeah, that’s me," Alix said, brushing off the previous denial as feebly as they felt. Looking up into Alya’s eyes confirmed what they feared; something else was on her mind.

"I knew it. I knew it. Does everyone in class have a fucking Miraculous? Is Adrien Chat Noir? Is Sabrina secretly Hawkmoth?" she snapped, as Alix began to sidle away, only to be stopped by another hefty slap.

"Hey, all I know is, this box turned up in my room randomly and then Chii popped out of it. You, I was joking with about being the Fox but holy crap, this is insane. Like, we’re both superheroes! How cool is that!"

"That’s… it’s cool… actually, it’s really cool that you’re a hero too. I’m kinda glad… I have someone I can rely on…" Alya stammered, her body shaking as her adrenaline faded. Tears formed and fell within moments, and the girl was soon sobbing against Alix’s shoulders.

"Uuh… " Alix began, "this is about more than me being the Dragon, isn’t it?" they asked. Alya mumbled weakly. "Want to come back to mine? We’re pretty close to be honest."

　

"Excellent work Pinaon. Now, return your powers to me," Hawkmoth said, as he looked across at the akumatised woman. She nodded, and closed her eyes. Darkness began to form around her, as the akuma slipped away from her, reforming into a dark purple butterfly. She still looked remarkably similar to how she had before though, the colours on her costume had simply shifted from blacks, reds and purples to blues, greens and yellows.

"It seems bad luck runs in the Agreste family, Gabriel," the woman said softly, stretching her arms out. "Your son was already transformed when I arrived. I suspect he will not return here, and he will be suspicious of you, me and the Gorilla, as he so amusingly refers to him. Quite ironic really, that he would be afraid of the one person in this house who genuinely cares for him," she added, with a vicious little chuckle.

"I care for him! He is my son, of course I care for him!" Hawkmoth snapped angrily, crossing the distance between them to grab at her ruffled collar.

"Ahaha. Of course. And that’s why the next stage of your plan is to akumatise him, correct? Out of love?" she retorted, a vile smirk upon her face.

"This… this is too much. I made a mistake. Nathalie, I order you to return the Miraculous to me. The Peacock is too overpowering for you," he said, stepping back and holding his palm wide. Paon regarded the open palm with an arched eyebrow.

"Throwing in the towel so soon? If only you had been so spineless back at university. Emilie would have fallen for me like I had wanted," she went on.

"Enough!"

"… Adrien would have been my son…"

"I said enough!"

"…and Emilie would still be awake and around, not trapped in a magical coma," she finished. Hawkmoth growled at her, detransforming in front of her.

"Nathalie, you will cease this at once!"

"Or what, pray tell? You lack the darkness to kill, Gabriel, and nothing you can do to me will hinder my plan. Just akumatise Adrien like a good little boy, and soon you’ll have your pretty little slip of a wife back," she purred, devilish smile spreading across her lips as she turned, and paced away, detransforming without so much as a flinch.

　

"OK… wow, that is… you’re absolutely sure you saw all of this? You are prone to… um… being overenthusiastic about bad news…" Alix said with a shift of position on their bed as Alya nodded her head.

"I saw Chloe and Ladybug. Then there was a flash of light, and then I saw Chloe and Marinette. **Hugging**. I can’t believe this, after I made it clear how I felt, Ladybug… Marinette! Chooses someone else. And it’s not even Adrien, this is so fucking typical, this… this is why I should never invest," Alya said, fighting back her tears again. She was still shaking thinking about everything that had happened.

"Als… it could just be a hug. You hug me all the time and you don’t have feelings for me. Maybe… I mean, it’s Chloe, maybe she found out by accident and is blackmailing Marinette?" Aliux suggested. Alya shook her head.

"It was more than a hug. They kissed, they squeezed hands! It was mutual!" Alya said, letting out a faint groan. "Do you think it’s all a scam? A conspiracy? Maybe she’s trying to get hold of a Miraculous!"

"Maybe she already has one. You have to admit, Queen Bee’s physique matches pretty well to Chloe’s," Alix said.

"Don’t you dare besmirch my Queen with your slander. Queenie is a darling. She’s kind, she’s sweet, she’s got a keen eye for fashion… she’s good at coming up with quips… she… she… it’s… fuck, I need to… I need Queenie," she mumbled, struggling to get her phone. Ignoring the dozen or so missed calls and messages, she dialled, and, hands shaking, she held the phone.

"Hello?"

"Queenie? It’s… it’s Rena. I, uh… I know we swapped numbers a while ago, and we agreed it was… it was for emergencies only… I… I needed to talk to you. Um…" she said, feeling herself recede into herself once again.

"What’s wrong?"

"I… I saw something I shouldn’t have, and now I’m worried about everything. I… I know who Ladybug is…"

"…"

"Bee?"

"Foxy, I need you to stay calm a moment, OK. Take a deep breath."

"OK."

"What happened?"

"I… I hid, after the Akuma… I saw her transform by accident. I saw her with… with… you… didn’t I?" Alya said, tears rolling down her cheeks. "I saw you and Marinette kiss in the hotel. I…" she mumbled. The final truth had fallen into place. Queen Bee, the hero she had taken such a shining to, the hero she adored as an equal, was Chloe. As words continued to fall out of the phone’s speaker, Alya felt herself go numb, her phone tumbling to the floor. She let out a weak, almost noiseless wail, and slumped to her side, leaving a confused and more than a little scared Alix to panic about the increasing volume of the speaker on the phone, and the catatonic girl on their floor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story will be going on a small, 1 month or thereabouts hiatus. NaNoWriMo is upon us and I will be focusing on original work for that time.
> 
> Thank you to everyone who has read up to this point, I love every single one of you. Please stay safe and happy, take time for yourselves and never, EVER compromise on your own well being. You deserve health and happiness, regardless of what anyone else tells you, even yourself.
> 
> See you in the winter months.


	9. Chapter 8: Lecture

                “She’s really not coming is she?” Marinette asked, as Chloe stood by the entrance door to the Gala. Almost everyone had turned up now, only Alya, Juleka, Alix, Max and his date were missing. Chloe closed her eyes, and shivered a little.

                “She’ll come,” Chloe said softly. She had been the one to panic after the phone call several hours ago, but a person who had identified as Pulao on the phone assured her that things were OK. She didn’t believe it for a second, but, she had to put on a brave face, for the gala and for Marinette, who had taken over panic duties from her the moment she had decided to remain stoic. It hadn’t taken a grand leap of logic to figure out who Rena was, but Chloe didn’t know a hundred percent, and asking Marinette now would be like striking flint in a flour mill, idiotic and explosive.

                “Oh god, what if she’s hurt herself. What if she’s been caught by an Akuma?” Marinette whispered, gripping onto Chloe tightly, her silky dress tickling at Chloe’s legs.

                “If it is the former, then she had someone with her. If it is the latter, I am sure we will find out soon enou-” she began, as the doors were pushed open. She clenched, and for entirely different reasons than she had been expecting.

                “Madam, Max Kante, and his plus one, Lila Rossi,” Jean said, gesturing to the two who had just walked in. Marinette and Chloe regarded the girl with some trepidation. It was no secret that there was no love lost between the girls, and while Lila had also been taking steps to improve lately, they had not been anywhere as significant as Chloes.

                “Max, Ms Rossi,” Chloe said, maintaining a fake smile as she greeted them both. Max returned the gesture in kind, and Lila regarded the blonde with a faint smirk.

                “Chloe. Your little party is… mmm, quaint. Cute and compact. Of course, the royal galas of the British royal family are,” she began. Max let out a faint cough, and his grip tightened on the girl’s arm. “Aha, forgive me, I lost my train of thought. The flower arrangement looks beautiful.” With that, she and her date entered the room, mingling with the other assembled teens. Chloe and Marinette let out a collective sigh of relief.

                “She’s gotten better,” Marinette said, struggling to find the words.

                “Max is the best thing to ever happen to her. He grounds her lies,” Kim’s voice said as he and Ondine approached. “And she reminds him there’s more to life than numbers. Match made in… well, definitely not heaven, but… somewhere.”

                “Oh Kim, that was almost erudite,” Ondine said with a little giggle. Kim flushed brightly, his chest swelling a little.

                “Ahh, you must be Ondine. Thank you for distracting this knucklehead from my fabulously good looks,” Chloe said, giving the girl a genuine smile. Ondine returned the smile with one of her own.

                “My pleasure. Sorry about flooding Paris that one time about it,” she replied casually, taking a sip of her drink.

                “So Max and Lila. That is a pairing I did not see coming,” Marinette said, as she glanced back to the door, and gasped. “And neither was that…”

                “Madam. Presenting Alix Kubdel and… their plus one, Juleka Couffaine,” Jean said, as Alix and Juleka walked in. The former was wearing what appeared to be torn up stockings, a long tartan pattern skirt that could have been an extra-long shirt, a dark denim jacket and a look of smug superiority. Juleka wore what could only be described as Morticia Addams summer dress. It was form hugging with long, satin wings, stopped just above the knees, and had highlights in purple. The pair were stunning together.

                “Welcome! I’m glad you both decided to come,” Chloe said, smiling at them both.

                “Wouldn’t miss any chance for free food,” Alix replied with a poke of her tongue.

                “We owed it to someone,” Juleka replied cryptically. Chloe nodded, a vague idea who she was talking about, but again, she could not be certain.

                “For whatever reason, I’m still glad you both made it. Thank you,” Chloe replied. The pair walked past, but as they did, a small, folded piece of paper dropped to the ground. Chloe casually knelt to pick it up, and unfolded the scrap. It read ‘She is coming. She just needs a bit of time. You two need to talk.’ Chloe took a deep breath, and delicately dropped the note in with one of the nearby candles.

 

                A little while later, Marinette had been circulating around the party. Ivan and Mylene were enjoying themselves immensely, and their matching outfits were absolutely stunning. Lila and Max had met up with Kim and Ondine, and were chatting away. Marinette’s disdain for the Italian had faded a little, but she still didn’t like her all that much, but it was good that she had people who could tolerate her. Alix and Juleka were hanging out with Rose, who had turned up solo, as had Sabrina. There had been rumors about the two of them, but neither seemed to show much romantic interest in one another. A surprise attendant was Kagami, Adrien’s fencing companion. The girl struck Marinette with so much fear that she almost physically leapt when she first ran into her. She had squeaked an excuse and made her way elsewhere, face burning and feeling like a complete fool. She eventually found her way to the far end of the hall, where big speakers were filling the hall with music at a surprisingly appropriate volume.

                “Alright, I’ll catch up in a little while! Your matching carnations are so cute!” Marinette said to Nathaniel and Marc as she wandered up to the stage.

                “Marinette! Hi!” Adrien beamed, waving as the girl approached the decks he and Nino were sat behind. Adrien looked oddly dishevelled for being a model, his suit didn’t seem to fit him quite right.

                “A-Adrien! I hear about the attack. Did you… was it…” she stumbled, trying not to give away too much. The boy glanced away sheepishly.

                “She got to me before she got to the hall. It was really scary, being so out of control. I hope Ladybug and the other heroes catch her soon,” he responded, also struggling through his words. Nino glanced from one to the other, and rolled his eyes. He had long ago figured out who Ladybug was, and after Chat’s identity had been revealed to him, it wasn’t too hard to figure out the rest. He chuckled as he began to queue the next few songs on his deck, only to be stopped by Marinette.

                “Nino! I was actually coming over to ask, could you play a slower song, I think a lot of people would like something a bit more romantic to dance to,” she said, placing her hands together and giving the boy a wink.

                “Sure thing ladybro! Got something special picked out just for this,” he said, nodding to Adrien.

                “Marinette, would you care to join me in a dance? It’s the least I could do to thank you for your hard work in making this possible,” the boy said, offering his hand to her. Blush spreading across her chest, Marinette accepted, though she struggled to get the words out.

 

                “OK Als, you can do this. Just be civil, put in an appearance, and don’t get trapped by either one of them alone. Tonight is not the night to talk about this shit, pheeeew, OK, ok ok ok ok ok,” Alya mumbled to herself, shaking her hands a little to psyche herself up, dress swishing with every movement. She bit her lip, inspecting herself again in the hallway’s mirror. The dress was a vibrant orange, backless and strapless and reaching down to the floor, with sequins lining the bust and sheer silk wraps trailing around it. She had asked Trixx ahead of time if she should have worn her Miraculous with it, but the fox assured her that, for one night, it would be OK, so the necklace sat prominently just above her bust. She approached the butler with her invite, and he nodded at her with a professional smile, opening the door for her. Almost immediately as she looked inside, she saw Marinette and Adrien dancing, and a shudder went up her spine.

                “Uh… I… I need a bit more time,” she said, quickly hurrying away, wobbling slightly on the heels her mother had insisted she wear. She rounded a corner and took a deep breath.

                “OK… I can…. Oh god why does this hurt so much,” she mumbled, hand clutching at her chest. She felt dizzy, her hands were shaking and she could barely keep herself upright.

                “Alya, maybe you should head home. I’m pretty sure she doesn’t even like the banana head any more, but if seeing them like this affected you, maybe… you need more time,” Trixx whispered from within the folds of her dress, in a hidden purse. Alya shook her head, fighting herself to regain her composure.

                “I’ll be fine, it’s fine. I can handle it.”

 

                The song reached its first crescendo, and Marinette was not having a good time. Twice now she had stepped on Adrien’s foot, and the boy seemed increasingly aggravated by it. It was clear he wasn’t enjoying himself, so she took a step back, and broke their hold.

                “For gods sake! How hard is it to… Marinette?” the boy asked, tilting his head to one side.

                “I’m sorry. I… My head’s somewhere else Adrien. I didn’t mean to… it’s not fair on you, I’m sorry about stepping on your foot,” she said, wrestling with her own thoughts. Adrien pinched the bridge of his nose, and shook his head a little, as if trying to clear his own thoughts.

                “Sorry for snapping, my head’s still not right either. I hope whatever’s worrying you gets sorted out soon,” he said, smiling weakly at her.

                “Me too… Thank you for being so understanding, Adrien,” Marinette said, smiling back. “And if you and Nino want to, y’know, sneak off somewhere a little later, I can totally get someone to cover for him,” she added with a wink, letting the boy be the one flustered and blushing for once.

 

                “What’s up bro, you’re so red you’re almost glowing!” Nino said with a chuckle as Adrien approached the DJ booth again.

                “Marinette knows we’ve been hooking up,” he responded. It was now Nino’s turn to be bright and flustered.

                “Do you, do you think she’s gunna…” Nino stammered.

                “Well, considering she offered to cover for us if we wanted to go somewhere private, I doubt she’s gunna tell anyone who’d be a problem. Expect some teasing though, she’s pretty good at that,” the model said, as the song continued to play. After a little while, Adrien began gently brushing against Nino with his hip. Suddenly, his pocket began to shake and buzz, making both boys yelp with surprise. Adrien pulled out his phone, and, upon seeing who it was, glanced at Nino nervously, before answering it.

                “Hello? Nathalie? Are you… you?”

                “I have no idea what you are talking about. Adrien, your father has decided that this Gala is no place for you. You are to come home at once. A car will be waiting for you outside. You have five minutes to excuse yourself,” her voice came over the phone, harsh and remorseless.

                “Whuh… No! That’s not fair! He promised, he let me come! I’m not returning home!” he snapped, gripping the phone tightly, his eyes scrunching as his anger began to overboil.

                “This is not negotiable. Do as he instructs, or you will be removed from far more than a party. You now have four minutes to get to the car,” Nathalie went on.

                “He can’t do that! This is complete horse shit!” Adrien yelled, his free arm flailing. His movement knocked the deck, knocking the needle completely off the record, resulting in the music stopping, and everyone in the hall hearing his screamed expletive. He growled, and with a bit of flail, tossed the phone onto the ground, shattering the thing into a dozen pieces.

                “I need some air,” he snarled, heading out towards the back exit. Nino blinked, and quickly put the needle back onto the record before running after his friend, leaving the rest of the room completely in shock.

 

                “I’m glad he’s doing OK…” Chloe said quietly, glancing over to the two boys as Marinette walked over to her. Marinette nodded, though there wasn’t much enthusiasm to it. Chloe tilted her head, looking at her inquisitively. “Something else is bothering you. Is it Alya?”

                “Yeah… I really feel bad, I… I didn’t want anyone to find out like this… this is the worst possible scenario…” she mumbled, letting out a faint moan. Chloe grabbed the girl’s hand as the song began to reach its big second crescendo.

                “Dance with me. Come on, just for a minute, to take your mind off of everything. Please?” Chloe asked, forcing another smile for the girl. Marinette nodded again, and found herself pulled close to the girl as a softer part of the song played. The girls embraced, and began to spin, stepping and twisting in time to the music as it grew more and more upbeat. A smile began to spread across Marinette’s lips, one mirrored by Chloe as they got more into the song. The music reached the end of the second chorus, and Marinette leaned back, supported entirely by Chloe.

                “Oh…” she mumbled, as her eyes grew wider. Chloe followed Marinette’s gaze towards the door, and her jaw dropped a little. Alya was stood, watching with tears rolling down her cheeks, hand clasped around something at her chest. The blonde watched as Alya turned, and began to run.

                “No!” Marinette gasped, dropping to the floor as her grip failed.

                “Alya!” Chloe yelled, pulling Marinette to her feet and running towards the door with the dark haired girl in tow.

                “Chlo… Chlo I can’t… I can’t…” Marinette whimpered, pulling away from Chloe as they reached the door. “I can’t face her. I need more time. Please...”

                “I’ll bring her back, I promise. I’ll… we’ll figure it out. Together,” Chloe said, before turning tail to run after Alya. She was not too hard to track, first one shoe and then another told her exactly where the brunette had run, and unlike Alya, Chloe was very used to running in dresses.

 

                “Stop right the hell there Cesaire!” Chloe yelled as she skidded around a corner, her flats long abandoned on the carpeted hallway.

                “Leave me alone Chloe!” Alya snapped back, hand still clasping her Miraculous. Trixx! Let’s-” she began.

                “Trixx if you transform her I swear to whatever higher being there might be I will make sure Pollen makes your life a misery for all eternity!” Chloe shouted, stomping towards the distraught girl.

                “I’d do it too! It wouldn’t take any convincing at all!” Pollen snipped from Chloe’s little purse.

                “I…” Trixx mumbled, torn between loyalty to his master, and the thought of an eternity of torment from the Bee. “Sorry, little kit.”

                “Great, another one abandoning me…” Alya mumbled. “I should just give this damn thing back…”

                “Will you grow up and stop this damn pity party already!” Chloe said, now level with the girl, who pulled away from her as she went to grab Alya’s arm. “I get it, I really get it, fuck… the girl I’ve been crushing on for all this time being someone I couldn’t stand until recently? Wasn’t expecting that at all! And Mari being who she is, that threw me too. And, in case you forget, she was saving me even when I was a complete bitch! Finding out the **other** girl you’re crushing on is the OTHER girl you couldn’t stand? Believe me I have been there **so** much,” she went on, continuing to move towards the girl whenever she flicked her shoulder away.

                “It’s not the same…” Alya said, still sniffing and wiping away her tears. “Just… go away Chloe.”

                “Not going to happen, Foxy,” Chloe replied softly.

                “Don’t call me that.”

                “Why? I’m still the same Queenie you kissed. I’m still the same Queenie you nearly got crushed rescuing. I’m still her! Me! Alya, look at me!” she said, grabbing the girl with both hands to turn her to face her. Upon looking at Chloe, Alya’s shoulders began to shake again, and fresh tears began to roll down her cheeks.

                “Let me go!” she snapped, flailing to get free.

                “Not until you calm down and come back to the party to talk with Marinette.”

                “Hell no! I don’t want to talk to you, I don’t want to talk to your girlfriend, I don’t want Ladybug, or Queen Bee, I just want to be left alone!” Alya growled, pulling away from Chloe so hard she stumbled, and fell to the floor, sobbing. Chloe took a step back, her eyes clenched tightly shut.

                “You… you are a complete idiot. I can’t stand you like this. Marinette is panicking so much she’s barely able to hold it together, and here you are thinking she’d date someone like me. You’re… utterly ridiculous,” Chloe said, crossing her arms over her chest.

                “I… you’re… what?”

                “Marinette isn’t dating me, idiot. She hasn’t admitted it to me, but she has feelings for you, it’s plain to see. So quit blubbering like a little kid, go back there, and get your girl!”

                “But… I saw you kissing.”

                “And? I’ve kissed Adrien before, and we’re certainly not dating. You’ve kissed your sisters before, and you’re not a Disney princess with ice powers so you’re probably not dating any of them either,” Chloe went on. Alya let out a soft giggle.

                “Elsa is pretty gay…”

                “She is a very pretty gay, yes,” Chloe said, causing Alya to giggle again despite herself. Chloe pulled the girl up onto her feet, and helped brush her down.

                “But… what about you? Aren’t you… I thought you were, like, crushing on Ladybug, big time?” Alya asked. Chloe glanced away, and let out a huffed laugh.

                “I was a foolish fan, nothing more. You really can’t read anyone if you thought I wanted to go out with that fashion disaster!” Chloe replied haughtily, letting out a hollow laugh.

                “I… r-right. Thank you. I didn’t… I know this means Rena and Bee… will kind of not be a thing any more too…” Alya said quietly.

                “I think I can cope without a clingy fox draping herself over me every time there’s an Akuma,” Chloe said, poking Alya on the nose with a roll of her eyes. “Now go! Go find Marinette, tell her you’re in love with her, and ask her to dance.”

                “I will. Thank you Chloe, you… I owe you, like, a thousand,” Alya said, jogging back the way she had come. Chloe waited until the girl was out of sight, and hugged herself tightly, eyes clenched tightly shut as they began to spill tears.

                “you owe me everything…” she mumbled, barely able to hold in the emotions that burned within her.

 

                Alya was only half way back to the party when she ran into Marinette.

                “Alya!”

                “Mari! I was just coming to find you! I have to tell you,” Alya began.

                “No time! Akuma! Big, **bad** Akuma! Where’s Chloe?”

                “Back this way. I can,” she began, as a roar echoed among the hallways, causing her to jolt. She gulped, and grasped her Miraculous tightly.

                “Trixx, Let’s Pounce!”

                “Tikki, Spots On!”

                The girls transformations ended mere moments before a series of black cracks began to form in the wall, which crumbled to dust a few moments after. A creature stepped through the gap it had created, green eyes glaring down at the girls. A jingling bell around its neck was the only clue to the identity of the beast, but as it reared backwards, taking in a deep breath, both Heroines exchanged a glance, and dove to either side, the blast eating into the carpets, walls and ceiling, disintegrating everything in its path.

                “Is that Chat?” Rena asked, and Ladybug nodded her head.

                “Carapace told me. He’s helping everyone get out, but he lost his shield to the Cataclysm breath. We need to Stop him right now! We need Bee!” Ladybug called. Rena nodded, and grabbed her flute. She tooted a few times, and called for a Mini Mirage, summoning tiny dancing lights to try and distract the monster, as the heroines began to search. It didn’t take long to find her, on her knees, bawling her eyes out.

“ **Chloe!** Thank goodness! We… need you…” Ladybug began, before flashing a stern glare at Rena. “What the **hell** happened between you two,” she snapped.

                “I… I don’t… when I left she was fine!” Rena replied, kneeling next to Chloe, who batted her away feebly.

                “I *hic* don’t *hic* want *hic* to *hic* talkaboutiiitt” Chloe stammered, sobs punctuating almost every word as she pushed away at Rena, who grabbed at her arms, and held them to her side. Taking in a deep breath, she leaned in closer.

                “Queenie, we still need you… I… still need you,” she whispered gently, as Ladybug knelt in front of the blonde.

                “Chloe… please, whatever’s happened, we need to stand together. Your power can save Paris,” the spotted hero said, brushing a hand delicately against Chloe’s tear soaked cheek. Chloe mumbled something in comprehensible, a closed her eyes.

                “Pollen, transform me,” she croaked, and the yellow and black kwami obliged, but not before delicately kissing the distraught girl on the cheek. Queen Bee stood, slowly, helped upright by the other two heroines, as another devastating roar echoed throughout the hotel.

                “What are we dealing with?” she asked, hoarsely.

 

                “This is ridiculous, Hawkmoth is seriously taking the piss now!” Alix chided as the diminutive Parisian was helped out of a pile of rubble by Carapace. The hall was in ruins, with piles of stonework everywhere. The stage was sparking, water was pooling in one corner, and the flower display was on fire. “You’re alright Donatello, I’m the only one in there,” they added, as the hero turned back to the pile.

                “Carapace! I did a quick head count with Mr Butler, everyone who was supposed to turn up is accounted for apart from Chloe, Alya, Marinette and… um… Adrien,” Juleka said, helping her date onto their feet properly.

                “Yeah… Adribro’s the Akuma… and I think the others are… elsewhere?” he said, choosing his words carefully.

                “Give it up Nino, everyone knows. Adrinoir got Akuma’d, and Ladynette, Queen Bourgeois and Renalya are stopping him,” Alix said, wincing as a twinge of pain shot through their body as they tried to put weight onto one of their feet. Juleka instinctively leaned down and picked Alix up bodily, making them splutter and blush.

                “Everyone? Uhh, I mean, I don’t know who you’re… yeah, no doubt. I’m worried, but I can’t do anything because Adrien Cataclysmed my shield. I’m basically useless without it…” he said.

                “That’s not true! Even without your weapon, you’re an important part of the team. You’ve helped everyone here get free, without getting hurt!” Juleka said, making Alix jump a little. The blog mod had never heard Juleka so assertive before, and was seriously impressed. Between the dress, the strength in her arms and now this, Alix was becoming more and more interested in the goth aesthetic loving girl.

                “I… yeah. Yeah! Come on, let’s get everyone to safety. There’s a whole hotel full of people that need helping!” he said, hefting another bit of rubble aside to make the way to the exit a little easier, where a few of their classmates were waiting.

                “Carapace, great job!” Sabrina called out as they approached.

                “Thank you for saving Mylene!” Ivan called out, holding the shorter girl tightly.

                “Thank you for helping me shift that shard of stone, big guy!” Carapace replied, winking at Ivan and pointing his fingers at him. “Everyone! Help one another, get to safety. The police will be here soon, I’m sure you know the drill by now. If the Akuma comes back…” he began, looking over the sea of faces. Every single person here had been a victim of Hawkmoth’s vicious and vile magic, every person had a story of his voice echoing in their dreams, of feeling a chill when they go to certain places or do certain things. He knew what they were thinking, and how he would react if he were told to ‘just stay safe’. “If the Akuma comes back, look after one another, and give Hawkmoth hell!” he said, grinning wide. This gathered more than a little cheer from the class, and even got him a few high fives from Alix and Kim. Steadying his resolve, the hero began to make his way back into the hotel.

                “Hey, Juleka… I need a favour. Can you get me somewhere quiet, and, uh… can you keep a secret” Alix asked, leaning up to the girl’s ear.

 

                “Bug!” Rena yelped, throwing her flute across to the spotted heroine, who caught it mid throw, and used it to block the incoming claw attack, which pinned her back against the wall. Her yoyo was caught up on one of the beasts other claws, keeping it from slashing Queen Bee apart as the girl tried to get close enough to use her Venom ability

                “I can’t get in close enough!” Bee snapped, the bulbous stinger that encompassed one of her hands flailing around to try and get in close. Suddenly, a feather needle struck the monster squarely between the eyes.

                “They are trying to stop you. Make sure you do not get trapped,” a voice spoke as it hit, and Rena spun to see… not quite the Akuma from earlier in the day. It was the same person, clearly, and the colours were similar, but there was a lot more green and a lot less purple. This person looked a lot more like a peacock hero, but there was a dangerous aura of malice to them.

                “Rena! She has the Miraculous!” Ladybug exclaimed, pointing to the pin that sat on one of her shoulders. Rena looked from Ladybug to Queen Bee, a worried look on her face.

                “We’ll be fine! Get the Miraculous!” Bee shouted, and Rena nodded, struggling to her feet. She glanced behind the advancing woman, and smirked.

                “Hey! You don’t get to be a hero just by putting on a Miraculous you know. It takes guts, determination, and a desire to do good. You’re nothing but a puppet of an evil, evil man,” she said, giving ever so slight gestures to the figure behind the advancing peacock themed villain.

                “Amusing. You think you know everything, but you, and every other one of your ‘Team Miraculous’ are children. You know nothing of the way of the world,” she responded calmly. “ **How dare you stand against me!** ” she snapped suddenly, a brief look of surprise spreading over her features before the control returned. Alya’s brow furrowed, but she continued.

                “So how about it? Show the first signs of doing some good, throw the Miraculous down and take a stand against Hawkmoth. Tell you what, I’ll even give you my Miraculous instead,” she said, quite obviously lying.

                “Hawkmoth has no use for a feeble miraculous like yours. Stand aside, Wielder of the Miraculous of Illusion. Your power is weakest against mine, and you are without your instrument. This is a battle you cannot win,” the woman said sternly, glaring down at Rena.

                “Maybe. But I can still try to stop you. And I’m pretty sure **they** can do a heck of a lot more than I can!” Alya said, nodding her head.

                “BOOYA!” a voice exclaimed as the shape behind the Peacock villain leaped, and attempted to tackle them. This was, however, less useful than hoped, as the shape behind was Pulao, who was almost half the height of the villain, and probably a third of the weight.

                “Of all the… **hello! Magical breath maybe?** ” Rena snapped, rolling her eyes as Pulao continued to struggle with the woman.

                “Bee!!” Ladybug’s voice called, snapping Rena’s attention back to the other fight. Queen Bee was stood directly in front of the dark creature, ready to strike with her stinger. The beast was drawing in a breath to blast her into oblivion. In a split second, Rena Rouge made a decision. Time seemed to begin to move at a snail’s pace as she turned on her heels and began to run forward. Every step that brought her closer also brought the beast’s breath nearer and nearer to being shot forward, the terrible black swirling magic that would disintegrate all that it touched. Seconds stretched out as Rena ran, and knelt, and then dove. She met with Queen Bee as the blackness began to emerge, pushing the hero forwards. Queen Bee’s stinger touched into the monster as the blackness touched Rena’s foot, and, for the foxy heroine, everything went black.


	10. Chapter 9: Lopsided

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I will be honest. I don't intend to finish this fic. I was already iffy about it when we had the Queen Bee episodes, but with the recent spoilers, I just don't want to write this any more. I'm sorry to those of you who liked the story (Sorry Aish) but my love for it has gone.
> 
> At a little bonus, you can see the notes I made for when I was working on it after the end of the chapter. I'll even detail what I wanted from the fic, so you at least know what was going to happen maybe kinda.

                “Marinette! You came. Are you… going to stay long?” Chloe asked, as Marinette approached her. The girls embraced tightly, revelling in the shared contact, but the hug was broken all too quickly when the dark haired girl pulled away.

                “I shouldn’t. I have to… Ladybug is still needed,” Marinette replied stoically. Chloe took a firm breath inwards and glanced to the girl’s side.

                “Those are nice…” she mumbled quietly, gesturing to the flowers in her hand.

                “Sabrina did the arrangement. She said it was the least she could do, for…” Marinette spoke, her voice waivering. She looked haggard, like she had barely been sleeping; her hair was pulled into a single ponytail instead of her signature twin tails. Chloe regarded her up and down, concern growing in her expression.

                “I’m worried about you. You are sinking too deeply into this, you need a break. What would she think of this?” Chloe said, cupping Marinette’s cheek gently.

                “Don’t… please, don’t use her like that. I’m fine; I just need to find them. I need to… Hawkmoth and Paon need to be stopped. That’s what she would want,” Marinette replied, glaring back at Chloe, who winced, moving away from Marinette.

                “Let’s just… go see her,” she said quietly, turning to the door. The two girls entered through a pair of sliding doors, nodding at the receptionist who sat behind a round desk. It had been two weeks, but they were already pretty recognisable to the staff here. They walked along a set of corridors, and went up two stories in an elevator. They then had another short before they came to another little desk, with a nurse who could only be described as colossal sat at it.

                “Good morning Yvette,” Chloe said, a lot more jovially than she felt. The nurse glanced up at them, and frowned.

                “You girls know visiting is not for another two hours…” the mountain of a woman said, crossing her arms. “What you did for my sweet Ivan can only go so far, Miss Bourgeois…”

                “I know, I’m sorry to impose, but we have to go back to school today, and we wanted to see her before we went. Can you bend the rules just one more time for me? I would be so grateful,” Chloe asked, her hands clasped together tightly. The woman huffed, and looked down at her desk, where a photo of Ivan and Mylene in their finery was tucked against her computer screen.

                “I’m going to get myself a cup of coffee. I will be back in ten minutes. I sure hope no-one sneaks into the ward while I am gone,” she said, looking past the two girls as if they weren’t there. She shifted, and stood, revealing herself to be even taller than she first appeared. She stomped off towards a door, and Chloe pushed the ward door open, letting Marinette slip inside before she followed, closing it behind her.

                “Ahh…” Marinette squeaked, clasping her hands around her mouth. The ward was in fact a single room, with dozens of machines around the edge of the room trailing cables towards a bed that sat in the centre. IV lines hung, monitors beeped and blipped, and, on the bed, lay Alya. Tears began to roll down the girl’s cheek as Chloe stepped next to her, hand resting softly on her shoulder.

                “It never gets any easier, seeing her like this,” the blonde said quietly, her own eyes welling up, but she blinked the tears back, and approached the bedbound girl.

                “Do they even know what’s happening to her? I thought the Cataclysm had stopped,” Marinette croaked as she tiptoed closer. Chloe pulled back the sheet, revealing Alya’s legs. The leg that the breath had struck was missing her foot, and a good portion of her leg below the knee. The end was black, and cracked, and looked more like a shard of coal than flesh and bone. Marinette winced, and turned away.

                “It’s stopped, but it hasn’t gone. She’s alive, and healthy, she just… won’t wake up. Dr Belpois thinks that the pain from the incident is so huge that her body is literally refusing to wake up because of it…” Chloe said in a voice barely above a whisper, leaning over to check one of the IV drips. Satisfied, she leaned back, and dropped down onto the chair that sat next to the bed.

                “What do… what should I do?” Marinette said, too scared to approach any further.

                “You could talk to her. I’ve been… talking about us. Me. You. Her. I… I know I had stepped aside, but I…” Chloe began.

                “Chloe… this… right now, really?” Marinette pleaded, fixing her with a forlorn stare.

                “I… wanna… hear…” Alya mumbled. A moment of silence passed, and pandemonium broke loose.

 

                “Morning sleepzilla! Eight bells already, me hearty! Time to get up and get going!” Anarka Couffaine bellowed into the guest cabin of her houseboat. The figure in the bed shifted, groaning loudly.

                “NNnnhhhh, too early…” Adrien grunted, pulling the covers up and over his head.

                “Actually Adrien, we have about ten minutes before we need to leave if we’re going to get to school on time…” Juleka’s voice called from further into the boat. Adrien pushed himself up, eyes wide with fear.

                “What!? Only ten minutes to get ready? That’s not enough time, I need more time!” he exclaimed, scrambling up and out of the bed.

                “Whoa!” Anarka exclaimed, slamming the cabin door with wide eyes. “That ain’t something y’see every day, and I’ve seen plenty o’ sea monsters in my time!” she said, chuckling to herself as Juleka began to blush.

                “Maman, you are incorrigible,” Luka commented from up on deck.

                “I don’t know the meaning of the word! I actually don’t, what does that mean, dear child?” Anarka said, smirking.

                “It means, Maman, that you are terrible, and should be locked up,” Juleka said affectionately, crossing over to her mother and giving her a gentle kiss. Anarka chuckled again, and ruffled her daughter’s hair.

                “HEY! Jules! Get your butt up here!” a voice bellowed from outside the boat.

                “Juleka, it seems the time has come. The Little People have come to collect you,” Luka called out, plucking his guitar idly.

                “Har har, keep that up Big Blue and I’ll punch you in the knee,” the speaker said, and Alix’s face appeared in one of the portholes. “Come on, bring the pretty boy with you, we’re gunna be late!” the punk called out.

                “Late! Can’t be late!” Adrien snapped loudly as he barrelled through the boat, pulling out draws and lifting cushions. “Socks!”

                “Try on the line,” Juleka said with a roll of her eyes. She had quickly gotten used to Feather Adrien as she was calling him, his heightened emotions made him fit in among the chaos that was the Couffaine household perfectly. She made her way out on deck, and was immediately assaulted by Alix, who practically leaped up onto her, nuzzling into her hair.

                “Hi pretty,” Alix said, grinning from ear to ear. Juleka blushed faintly, and gave the skater a quick once over. She took in the badges on her bag, noting the quite prominent Mars symbol badge taking pride of place in the centre.

                “Hello handsome,” she replied, returning the hug in kind, planting a gentle kiss upon his forehead.

                “OK! Not going to be late!” Adrien exclaimed as he burst out of the boat. His shirt was buttoned incorrectly, his socks were mismatched and his hair was a mess, but the grin on his face and the bounce in his steps told you everything you needed to know. He was happy.

                “Well, let’s get going then pretty boy! Your significant other is waiting!” Alix said with a thrust of his arm.

                “Nino! Hells yes!” Adrien exclaimed.

 

                “Rose! There you are! Have you heard from Marinette or Chloe?” Sabrina called as she spotted the short blonde approaching the steps of the school.

                “I know Chloe was going to the hospital, I don’t know if Marinette is there too. Why?” Rose asked, looking up at the girl.

                “Ahh, that’s probably it. Chloe normally meets me here, and Marinette picked up the bouquet I was working on yesterday, so that makes more sense,” Sabrina said, a look of relief sweeping across her features.

                “Was there another reason you asked me here this early?” Rose asked, glancing around briefly. She and Sabrina had come to share quite a few secrets about the school and being asked to come in early usually meant a new scoop of some kind.

                “Actually, it wasn’t me. She asked me to get you in,” Sabrina said, nodding behind the diminutive girl, who turned to see Kagami looking up at them. Rose glanced back at Sabrina, who had a mischievous little smile upon her face.

                “Miss Lavillant. Forgive my duplicity in having your companion ask you here. I could not bring myself to approach you while others were around, for fear of an embarrassment being created for either one of us,” Kagami said, her gaze fixed squarely upon Rose, who took a half step back.

                “Uh… that’s fine? W-what did you want to talk about?” she asked nervously.

                “To put it simply, I was very impressed with how you took charge during the Catastrophe incident. Your actions were very bold, and your resolve absolute,” she said. Rose began to blush a little at the compliments. Once Carapace had gone into the hotel, Rose had indeed taken charge, organising among the class who was wounded and who was not. She quickly arranged for those wounded to be cleared from the area, and those who were willing and able to go back into the hotel to help search for more victims to form parties. Even when the beast went wild, Rose remained calm and organised those around to get to safety.

                “O-oh! Well, thank you for saying so!” Rose replied, beaming brightly at the woman. “But really, I can’t take credit, everyone pulled through so well. It’s amazing what we can achieve as a group when we all work together!”

                “Quite. But you do deserve recognition for your actions. I would like to request your company at Le Cinq for dinner. You are a marvellous woman, and I would like to get to know you better,” Kagami said, a little stiffly. Rose met her gaze, and her blush began to grow a little more again.

                “Are… are you… asking me out on a date?” Rose asked, and to her delight, Kagami began to blush as well. The dark haired girl coughed, and glanced to one side.

                “Err… yes, I was… I had hoped it would not come across so forceful, but, yes, I would like to take you out on a date. You intrigue me, you are very attractive, and I have found myself thinking of you in quiet moments,” the Asian girl admitted. Rose let out a little giggle, and nodded slightly.

                “I would be honoured to accompany you to dinner. Tonight? Or would another night suit you?” she asked.

                “If you are available, I am free tonight,” Kagami replied, and Rose smiled, nodding again.

                “It’s a date,” the little blonde said with a mischievous little chuckle.

 

                “A-Alya? Is it… are you…” Marinette stammered, cautiously approaching the girl. The auburn haired girl gingerly opened her eyes, making a soft grunting noise as if the effort of opening them was a strain.

                “Barely…” the girl muttered. Chloe leaned over and opened her mouth to speak, but she found no words would escape her throat, and it was all she could do to hold in… well, everything.

                “H-h-how are you feeling?” Marinette managed, dropping the bouquet of flowers to step closer to the bed.

                “Bad.”

                “Is there… is it something we can help with?” Chloe squeaked.

                “Foot…”

                “Alya… it’s… they’ve…” Marinette stumbled over her words again. She was at a complete loss. The girl had been in a coma for two weeks, had lost her foot, and had literally just woken up. What did you even tell that person.

                “Can I drink?” Alya mumbled. Chloe leaped from the chair and practically ran over to the room’s water dispenser, filling a small paper cup with water and came back.

                “Are you able to sit up?” Chloe asked. Alya attempted to move, but could not. “I could… the bed, it moves up and down, did you want me to move it so you are sitting?” A nod. The bed began to fold, shifting the girl’s position so she were laying in a semi seated position.

                “How long?” Alya asked, before taking a small sip from the offered cup.

                “Two weeks. You got hit by Catastrophe Cat’s breath. It… took your foot,” Marinette said quietly. Alya blinked once or twice, closing her eyes tightly.

                “Hurts…” she croaked. Marinette was at her side in moments, holding onto her hand. Chloe took the other, and both girls squeezed as tightly as they dared. Alya, for all she could, tried to squeeze back, but there was barely any grip there.

                “I can’t even begin to imagine how badly. We’re here for you, I swear,” Marinette said, leaning over to touch her forehead to the girl, who let out a soft sigh.

                “I-I’ll ask the doctors to increase your pain medication. It’s the least I could do, considering...” Chloe began, when Alya squeezed their hands a little tighter.

                “Thank you,” she breathed, as her eyes grew heavy again.

                “Alya, Alya, wait! I…” Chloe began, but the girl had slipped into unconsciousness again. Tears began anew as she pulled back, feeling the tension against her hand go limp. “I wanted to thank you for saving my life,” she finished through her sobs.

                “Chlo… we should go. She’s conscious. That’s… that’s huge! She’s alive, she’s been awake, and she’s recovering. We can… we should come back later,” Marinette said, leaning over to take Chloe’s hand. She looked up into her eyes, catching her attention. “We can come back tonight,” she added.

                “You mean… instead of,” Chloe began, sniffing and wiping at her eyes.

                “Instead of patrol. She needs us. We… need her,” Marinette said, a small smile making its way across her lips.

 

                “Can we talk about the irony of this?” Queen Bee snipped as she glared down at the destruction being wrought under the moonlight. The new creations, which the news outlets had dubbed Pinion Akumas, were far more devastating than their more complex counterparts. There were not creatures of malice, discontentment or fear, they were monsters of anger, of rage, pure destructive force driven by two goals; cause havoc and get the Miraculous. The latest took the form of a multi headed hydra, and was rampaging through the river districts, destroying bridges, boats and buildings with its multiple breaths.

                “No, now let’s put this thing down!” Ladybug responded, glaring across at the yellow heroine. They had almost gotten to the hospital when Adrien had called them, telling them that the Pinion Akuma was on the loose. In the wake of Rena’s injury, Carapace and Chat Noir had revealed their identities to the remainder of the Miraculous Squad, who had returned the gesture in kind. Adrien was presently not allowed to transform, under unanimous agreement from all five current members of the Squad, himself included, as his mood swings were still not entirely under control.

                “You know the plan, distract it for long enough that I can get in, I’ll disable it, you destroy it, and for the love of fuck watch out for feather bitch,” Pulao stated, glaring down at the beast.

                “How are you for time?” Ladybug asked, glancing over to the newest member of the squad. While they hadn’t officially revealed their identity to anyone in the squad, consensus was that it was Alix, but this was something they were letting the skater reveal on their own schedule.

                “Eight minutes. Plenty of time,” the dragon themed hero replied. “But I wish we had a few more. That thing has, like, a million heads.”

                “Traditionally, a Hydra has two heads for every head that has been chopped off. So, uh… don’t chop any heads off?” Ladybug said, standing up. She tossed her yoyo upwards, and called forth her magical charm. From the swirling vortex of luck magic, a traditional boat’s piloting wheel dropped into the girl’s waiting hands. Ladybug looked at it for a few moments, glancing around the vista. “OK. I have a plan!”

                “Wow. Bugbro, it amazes me how you manage to do that every time,” Carapace said, marvelling at the girl’s problem solving abilities.

                “It’s going to be pretty tricky, and I’m kinda relying on Queen Bee knowing how to pilot a barge,” she said. “But here’s what we’re going to do…”

 

                “And then, when the third one hit the blockade, Boom! Pulao leaps in, and grabs the Akumatised item. The Hydra vanishes, and the dragon almost falls right into the river! Lucky they had a turtle with them to help fish them out!” Alix said, badges on her clothing rattling as she leaped out of her seat before bouncing back down onto it. She let out a cackle with glee as she recounted the story.

                “Wow. Sounds like Pulao’s really earning their spot with the team,” Alya said, a little hollowly as she smiled, but it was a forced smile. She looked around the room at the visitors she had. Chloe and Marinette, naturally, were sat either side of her bed, and alongside Chloe were Alix and Juleka. Next to Marinette were Nino, Adrien, Nathaniel and a boy who she believed was called Marc.

                “I still can’t believe I slept through the whole thing!” Adrien commented, chuckling at the tale. Alya turned to look at him quizzically.

                “Why would you have woken?” she asked.

                “Oh! Uh… I’m… currently living on Anarka’s houseboat,” he replied, glancing away from the girl as Chloe and Marinette both shot him angry looks, and Nino shouldered him roughly.

                “Oh? And Gabriel ‘stick-up-my-butt’ Agreste is OK with that?” Alya asked groggily. She knew she should have been more tactful but her pain medication was already beginning to wear off.

                “W-well…” he began.

                “It’s something to discuss when you’re better, Alya. Please don’t worry about it too much,” Marinette said, brushing the errant hairs off of Alya’s cheeks. The girl nodded a little.

                “Mmh… lots of things to discuss if I get better,” she replied. Chloe let out a huff of irritation, and opened her mouth to speak.

                “Hey! We made you something, to keep your spirits up while you’re in here,” Nathaniel pipped in suddenly, noting that the blonde was losing her patience. Marc handed him a bag, and he pulled out a bound tome from it. “We had that made up especially for you. We wrote a superhero based on you! I took a lot of inspiration from Majestia, since I know you like her,” he said, handing the bound comic book over to Marinette, who handed it to Alya.

                “We’re all rooting for you, Alya. We’ve got a big party planned for when you come back,” Juleka said, trying to shift the subject back to safer waters.

                “Thanks, really, but I dunno if I’m coming back from this. I appreciate the effort, but… this isn’t just… I can’t…” she began, struggling with the waves of pain shooting through her body.

                “Oh for the love of god!” Chloe snapped, shaking everyone else in the room to attention, apart from Alya. “Give this pity party up already! It hurts, it sucks, but since when did you ever let something like this stop you, you are Alya God Damn Cesaire!”

                “It’s not as cut and dry as-”

                “As what? As knowing what the issue is and dealing with it? You’re damn skippy it’s as simple as that. You… I… arrrgh! I cannot deal with this!” Chloe snapped, pushing up and away from the bed and storming out of the room. Alya’s head hung low, her eyes closed as Alix stood from her chair and went to follow after Chloe.

 

                “The fuck was that Bourgeois?” Alix snapped, storming along behind the blonde. She grabbed at Chloe’s arm to stop her, but she yanked back, making Alix stumble.

                “Leave me alone Kubdel! You can’t even begin to know what it’s like!” Chloe growled back at her, increasing her pace. Alix let out a huff, and began to run, slipping around the girl and holding her arms wide to stop her advance.

                “Right! I don’t know what the hell is going on. So tell me! Alya’s my friend too, asshole, so if something bad is going on you need to talk!” she barked, glaring up into Chloe’s eyes, which flicked away under the scrutiny. Chloe’s hands balled and unballed a few times as she wrestled with her conflicting emotions.

                “Alya’s… not the same. That… person in there isn’t the girl I fell in love with. The… the spark she had when she was also Rena has gone, the drive she had when she was running the Ladyblog is gone, she barely eats, she doesn’t even seem to care about Team Miraculous any more. She’s… empty,” Chloe said as she shut her eyes.

                “Have you spoken to her about it?”

                “Every time I try, Marinette shushes me, or Alya has another wave of pain and can’t focus, or... there’s a damn Akuma attack and we have to leave. I just… I…” Chloe replied, welling up with sobs. Her fists balled again, and she slammed one of them into the corridor wall.

                “You need to talk with Marinette about this. I dunno exactly what’s going on and gone on between you three, but there’s something that needs resolving and you gotta talk to do it. Don’t just expect shit to get better eventually,” Alix said, lowering her arms. “I know she’s different right now, but she’ll get there in the end. Have a little faith in her,” she added with a smile.

                “You’re… you’re right. I’ll… I’ll talk to Marinette,” she said, taking in a deep breath.

                “Talk to me about what?” Marinette asked from further down the corridor. The group had left Alya’s room and were congregating around the door, with the dark haired girl approaching Chloe and Alix. Chloe glanced to the shorter girl who nodded.

                “Mari… I’m scared. Alya seems like she’s giving up, and, I don’t know what to do,” she said, wringing her hands together. A look of relief spread across Marinette’s face.

 

 

This is how I plan my works. I come up with a simple sentence to summarise the whole paragraph, and work from there.

 

Fu talking to Kuu who reveals many secrets - I have no idea what the secrets were, probably something pulled out of my butt :P

 

Alya reveals to juleka that she is purposefully trying to drive mari and chlo to one another, to forget her - aaaaaaaaaaangst :D

 

CHAPTER - Livid

 

Hawkmoth and Paon arguing, hydra nearly destroyed a miraculous? Worried about Adrien vanishing/trying to get to him. Alt hideout because home has become police hive? - Tension and such. It was going to be revealed that Duusuu was not a 'good' Kwami, and was unstable. Not evil per se, just not... good.

 

Another akuma? Or maybe I show the date? - decisions decisions.

 

Timeskip to Alya barely putting in effort to walk, mari now getting frustrated too - Alya's secret plan to land herself in perpetual misery was working!

 

Jules confesses to Alix about Alya, - OR WAS IT?

 

Akuma, Pulao hints to the girls about alya’s plan - Not sure what I had planned for this but it would've been more drama

 

Fu visits Alya (who confesses that she has not heard from Trixx and she’s worried she’s somehow killed him) - GASP! That was going to be a big twist chapter end. "Master Fu... I... I killed Trixx!" BOOM chapter end, wait a week for the next chapter. But alas, no such luck.

 

I was intending for Chloe and Marinette to pull together to bring Alya back, and the three of them would've had this big, emotional confrontation that ended up in Alya screaming something about not being able to handle being in love with four girls, that turning out to be two girls, who were also in love with one another. Chloe was going to get emotional about this because it would've been the first time that she, Alya, had confessed that she was in love with her, Chloe. And Marinette would've wrapped it up by basically summing up that all three of them were in love with one another, and they would have begun an awkward at first polyamorous relationship.

 

This was all info I'd gathered/ideas I'd formed that were on the backburner.

 

Illusion - Fox

Creation - Ladybug

Destruction - Cat

Protection - Turtle

Inspiration? - Peacock

Projection - Butterfly

Suppression - Bee

                

Pulao – child of the dragon.

 

**Rat:** quick-witted, smart, charming, and persuasive

**Ox:** patient, kind, stubborn, and conservative

**Tiger:** authoritative, emotional, courageous, and intense

**Rabbit:** popular, compassionate, and sincere

**Dragon:** energetic, fearless, warm-hearted, and charismatic

**Snake:** charming, gregarious, introverted, generous, and smart

**Horse:** energetic, independent, impatient, and enjoy traveling

**Goat:** mild-mannered, shy, kind, and peace-loving

**Monkey:** fun, energetic, and active

**Rooster:** independent, practical, hard-working, and observant

**Dog:** patient, diligent, generous, faithful, and kind

**Pig:** loving, tolerant, honest, and appreciative of luxury

 

Below, bold is who would give the items to the respective person. I was planning a Miraculous for everyone.

 

**Alya** – Rat – Lila MOTION – brings inanimate things to life

**Alya** – Ox – Max STRENGTH

**Adrien** – Tiger – Sabrina ELEMENTAL MANIPULATION

**Nino** – Rabbit – Rose SPEED

**Nino** – Snake – Juleka INVISIBILITY

**Adrien** – Horse – Kagami TELEPATHY

**Chloe** – Goat – Mylene RESTORATION (not as strong as LBs)

**Mari** – Monkey – Kim SHAPESHIFT INTO ANIMALS (irony for Animan)

**Mari** – Dog – Nathaniel INVULNERABILITY

**Chloe** – Pig – Ivan HAMMER SPACE

Dragon – Alix BALANCE

Rooster – Fu KNOWLEDGE – scan for information

 

 

Max and Lila a couple, she makes him cooler, he grounds her and stops her lying.

Kim and Ondine

Nino a pansexual mess, has feelings for Mari, Alya, Chat, Adrien, Kim, Chloe, Basically everyone. Effectively, The Todd without the perviness.

Ivan and Mylene dealing with money issues, being a mime is not a strong job.

Rose is clued in on everything but oblivious to Juleka’s feelings

Nath and Marc being rainbow

Sabrina still feels left out, especially now Chloe is trying to avoid ‘using’ her – everyone thinks she is a dumb lackey but she is dangerously smart.

Alix – frustrated because everyone talks about their crushes, but no-one ever crushes on her

Juleka – crushing on Alix, annoyed because she feels like she is in Rose’s shadow


End file.
